Ex-economist to contest elections from Ooty

CHENNAI: Dharmalingam Venugopal, a former IOB economist and director of the Nilgiris Documentation Centre has announced plans to contest as independent candidate from Nilgiris constituency in the assembly election.
Venugopal, coordinator of the 'Save The Nilgiris' campaign, told reporters in Chennai on Monday that he will campaign under the 'Vote for Ooty' banner to highlight serious issues faced by locals in the hill station, hitherto ignored by legislators.
In February, Venugopal plans to undertake a tour covering 231 booths in Ooty, to reach out to two lakh voters and make a list of their demands. Since 2006, the 62-year-old economist-turned-activist has been running the Nilgiris Documentation Centre and Nilgiris History Museum.