Is Stalin to contest from father’s Tiruvarur constituency?

Rumours have been floating in and around ‘Anna Arivalayam’, the DMK’s Teynampet headquarters in Chennai, since yesterday morning that party president M.K. Stalin might field himself for the upcoming Tiruvarur by-polls to be held on 28th January.
 
Tiruvarur became vacant with the demise of Stalin’s father and DMK patriarch M. Karunanidhi’s demise in August last year.  Election Commission announced the poll schedule for the by-polls, taking political observers and people alike by surprise as it said nothing about holding by-polls in 19 other Assembly constituencies in the State.
 
Filing of nomination papers is to commence from tomorrow (03rd January) and in view of paucity of time, the DMK had already started the process of locating its candidates.  It was earlier thought that Poondi Kalaivanan, who is the Tiruvarur District Secretary of the party, would be the obvious and ideal candidate to represent the constituency in the aftermath of Karunanidhi’s demise.
 
However, it is now said that Stalin, who faces the most important election/by-poll in his life as he has to act now without the services/guidance/advice of his tactful father, would field himself as the Party’s candidate.  It is reported that Stalin, who represents Kolathur (Chennai) in the State Assembly, is being forced to contest from Tiruvarur by party seniors such as T.R. Baalu, Chakrapani and a few others.
 
Stalin was taken by surprise as he was never toying with the idea of fielding himself from Tiruvarur.  He has been ‘briefed’ by the seniors in the party that it would only be the ‘right and obvious’ thing that he should represent the constituency in Assembly which had been held by his father for more than seven years till his demise.  Last heard, Kalaivanan is said to have gracefully agreed to make way for Stalin.