VILLUPURAM: Rumblings in the Villupuram district unit of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) have turned serious with former MLA A.G.Sampath jumping into the fray as an Independent in Mugaiyur.

A member of a family of staunch DMK supporters, Mr.Sampath was upset when the leadership rejected his application for ticket. Mugaiyur had received the highest number of applications, over 2,000, favouring his candidature.

Angry supporters of Mr.Sampath pulled down DMK flag-posts and burnt portraits of leaders. He was stripped off the party's primary membership.

PMK gets ticket

Mr.Sampath, while speaking to The Hindu , lamented that the seat had been allotted to the Pattali Makkal Katchi, that fared poorly in the 1996 elections when it went alone. In the 2001 elections, he had polled 60,000 votes.

His father A.Govindasamy was a Minister during the DMK regime. His mother Padmavathi was also elected to the Assembly from the constituency. Mr.Sampath had won two terms. In 2001, he lost to G.Kothandaraman of the AIADMK.

`Link' with raid

Mr. Sampath suspected that his "dissension" could have prompted Income Tax officials to raid the hospital of younger brother A.G.Ilangovan in Pondicherry. "Why should the raid be carried out the very next day he received a letter from the DMK, accepting his resignation from the party?" He said Dr.Ilangovan might also be forced to take to politics

Mr.Sampath has started campaigning. He is taking on Kalivaradhan of the PMK, Chinthanai Selvan of the Dalit Panthers of India and L.Venkatesan of the DMDK.

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