Tirupur: The campaign of AIADMK Tirupur candidate Anandan, started on Monday, is conspicuous with absence of key party functionaries from the region.While Tirupur north MLA KN Vijayakumar and Palladam MLA A Natarajan were present in the candidate introduction event, Tirupur south MLA Gunasekaran and Tirupur urban district deputy secretary Shanmugam were absent.Sources in the party said Shanmugam and Gunasekaran were miffed as they were not invitied properly and stayed away from the event though they were in the district. They failed to attend AIADMK cadres meeting held at Tirupur urban district office.Sources said supporters of Shanmugam and Anandan had not seen eye to eye after they had heated arguments earlier.When contacted, Gunasekaran said, “Anandan has invited me for the event. I was out of town and came to Tirupur only in the morning (Tuesday). I have started elections works and covered six wards in the city. Our high command has announced the candidates for the elections and we will work for the party’s victory.”Earlier, Anandan, former Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment (HR&CE) minister, began the campaign after garlanding a statue of the party founder and late chief minister M G Ramachandran on Park Road here. Anandan, also the Tirupur district urban secretary, has pipped the incumbent MP V Sathyabama, who outshined her Parliament colleagues from Tamil Nadu in various parameters, to get the seat.Anandan exuded confidence about his chances in the election and vowed in front of the MGR statue that ‘he will win with highest margin among the winners in 40 parliamentary constituencies in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.’

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