Erode(TN), Mar 18 (PTI) Sitting AIADMK MLA Thoppu N Venkatachalam on Thursday filed his nomination papers as an independent candidate from Perundurai constituency, following denial of ticket by the party for the April 6 assembly elections.

Venkatachalam was elected from Perundurai constituency in 2011 and became the Revenue and Pollution Control Minister in J Jayalalithaa's government in 2011. Again in 2016, he was elected MLA from the same constituency.

The former minister was a ticket aspirant for Perundurai segment, from where the party high command has decided to field Jayakumar.

Upset over being denied the seat this time, he met his supporters and decided to enter the fray as an independent candidate.

Venkatachalam filed his nomination papers before the Perundurai Returning Officer on Thursday noon.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)