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DMK fields Sharat Kumar from Tirunelveli

The ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has renominated all its three members in the Inder Kumar Gujral ministry and gave a starry touch to its list of 18 Lok Sabha candidates by nominating actor Sharat Kumar for the Tirunelveli seat.

Union ministers Murasoli Maran, T R Baalu and T G Venkataraman will contest from the Madras Central, Madras South and Tindivanam respectively.

Four DMK members of the dissolved Lok Sabha do not find a place in the list.

The party named K R Subbaiyan as its candidate for the Coimbatore seat, earlier allotted to the Communist Party of India-Marxist which has since walked out of the DMK-Tamil Maanila Congress alliance.

Though the DMK earlier wanted to contest from Sivakasi, it has now given the seat to the Communist Party of India.

Labour Progressive Front president C Kuppusamy is the nominee from Madras North which was represented by Union minister of state for defence N V N Somu who died in a plane crash a few months ago.

Contrary to speculation, Pon Muthuramalingam, who quit the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazagham and joined the DMK last week, does not find a place in the list.

The only woman in the list is Kanthimathi (Periyakulam), a new face.

The DMK is contesting 18 seats, the same as in the 1996 election.

While Maran faces former minister and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazagham nominee Jayakumar, Balu is pitted against BJP national vice-president Jana Krishnamurthy.

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