Congress MP Jothimani Alleges “Massive Irregularities” in TN Candidate Selection

Congress MP S. Jothimani on Friday alleged “massive irregularities” in constituency allocation and candidate selection within the Tamil Nadu unit of the Congress party during the Assembly elections, triggering fresh debate over internal democracy and transparency in political parties.

In a strongly-worded post on X, the Karur MP claimed constituencies were “sought and allocated” to suit candidates who had allegedly been pre-selected. She further alleged that under the guise of internal surveys, “large-scale corruption” had taken place during the ticket distribution process.

Jothimani said several senior party workers and grassroots leaders with “genuine winning prospects” were sidelined, while newcomers with little electoral standing were given opportunities after constituencies were specifically negotiated for them. Some candidates, she claimed, later became inactive or left the party soon after the elections.

Questioning the role of the committee headed by Tamil Nadu Congress in-charge Girish Chodankar , the MP argued that only the All India Congress Committee (AICC) had the authority to investigate complaints related to constituency allocation and candidate selection.

She also criticised the move to form committees to probe alleged anti-party activities without first examining the candidate selection process. According to her, shielding those responsible for electoral decisions weakens the confidence of grassroots workers.

Jothimani said the Congress must undertake transparent electoral reforms beginning in Tamil Nadu if it hoped to emerge as a strong opposition force against the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Her remarks underline how candidate selection disputes are increasingly exposing deep internal tensions within political parties , where factionalism, lobbying, and questions over transparency often become major sources of dissatisfaction and electoral setbacks.