Couples in Tirunelveli contest local body elections together

TIRUNELVELI: Three couples are contesting the local body elections in Tirunelveli district. A woman is contesting for the post of chairman in the Ambasamudram and Vickramasingapuram municipalities while her husband is contesting for the post of ward member. Another couple is contesting for the post of Ambasamudram panchayat union councillor.
Ambasamudram municipality is located off the Tirunelveli-Papanasam state highway at a distance of 35 km from Tirunelveli. The river Tambiraparani, originating from the Western Ghats, flows near the city.
Congress candidate M Ramalakshmi is contesting for the post of municipality chairman while her husband K Murugesan is contesting for the post of ward councillor. He is at present a councillor from ward-8.
Murugesan told TOI that he wants to give equal rights to women, and hence got his wife a nomination from the Congress party to contest. Ramalakshmi told TOI that she hoped to work for women and child welfare in Ambasamudram municipality.
Another couple is contesting for the post of Ambasamudram panchayat union councilor, from the DMK.
R Sivagurunathan and wife Meenakshi are contesting from Vellankuli and Mannarkovil wards respectively. Sivagurunathan is the younger brother of former speaker R Avudaippan, while Meenakshi is a sitting Ambasamudram panchayat union chairman. Sivagurunathan is also sitting vice-chairman of the same municipality.
Meenakshi told TOI that the DMK ideology supported equal rights to women, and hence she got a seat in this election. "My family members fully support me. I have been doing a lot of good for this panchayat like ensuring the Tamiraparani drinking water project for 12 gram panchayats," she claimed.
Another couple is contesting for the posts of Vickramasingapuram municipality chairman and councilor respectively. Vickramasingapuram was elevated to the status of a municipality in 2004. Presently, the number of voters in the municipality is 34,150.
Candidate for the post of chairman of the municipality and DMDK candidate, P Muthumari, and her husband J Peter Swaminathan (who is contesting for ward councillor) both are in the fray.
Swaminathan said he chose to follow his leader Vijayakanth's approach because 'Captain' and his wife Premalatha were active politicians.