Thanjavur: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has announced the party’s general secretary, S Karikal Chozhan, as its candidate for the Thanjavur assembly constituency for the November 19 assembly polls, making it a multi-cornered contest.

A realtor by profession, the 32-year-old Karikal Chozhan is pitted against AIADMK candidate M Rangasamy and DMK candidate Dr Anjugam Boopathi.

Making the announcement in Thanjavur today, NCP state unit president G P Sarathy said that the NCP had appealed to all other political parties and farmers associations in the state to field a common candidate in the general assembly elections for the Thanjavur and Aravakurichi constituencies and for the by-poll for the Thirupparankundram constituency.

As AIADMK and DMK, the two major political parties in the state, had decided to contest on their own and had announced their party candidates already, the NCP had no other option but to contest on its own to safeguard the interests of farmers and their livelihoods, Sarathy said.

Sarathy alleged that the central government did not show any interest to constitute the Cauvery Management Board even after all the political parties and farmers associations in the state organised various agitations pressing the demand. The Tamil Nadu government did not exert adequate pressure on the central government and failed to convene an all-party meeting on this issue, he said.

Karikal Chozhan expressed confidence that he would harvest the anti-AIADMK and anti-DMK votes as the election for the Thanjavur constituency was countermanded on the charge that candidates of the two Dravidian parties had distributed cash to voters. “I will emerge winner defeating the candidates of both the AIADMK and the DMK as I contest in the elections relying on the people’s support,” Karikal Chozhan said.