Chennai, April 4 -- The All India Congress Committee (AICC) on Friday announced its list of 27 candidates for the forthcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. Among the key candidates, Tamil Nadu Congress PCC chief K Selvaperunthagai will contest from the Sriperumbudur Assembly Constituency, while former MP Dr A Chella Kumar will contest from Krishnagiri Assembly Constituency. Other notable selections include Durai Chandrasekar from Ponneri (SC), Gopinath Palaniyappar from Erode (East), and Rama Karumanickam from Tiruvadana. The candidates were chosen by the Central Election Committee after careful consideration. Earlier in the day, the state unit of the BJP, too, released a list of 27 candidates for the Tamil Nadu Assembly polls, fielding Union Minister L Murugan from the Avanashi seat and former Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan from Mylapore. Though it was speculated that former state party chief K Annamalai would be fielded, he had asked the party to relieve him of the responsibility of campaign manager, citing his father's health.In March, he had said that he had not sought an opportunity to contest. BJP Mahila Morcha national president Vanathi Srinivasan will contest from Coimbatore (North), according to the list issued by the party. The party has named Kirthika Shivkumar as its candidate from Modakkurichi, S Vijayadharani from Vilavancode, and Nagesh Kumar from the Thalli seat. The party has retained three sitting MLAs, renominating senior leader M R Gandhi from Nagercoil. Party president Nainar Nagenthran, who won from the Tirunelveli constituency in the 2021 election, has been fielded from Sattur. The party has nominated Kirthika Shivkumar from Modakkurichi, from where BJP candidate C Saraswathi, a doctor by profession, defeated DMK leader Subbulakshmi Jagadeesan in 2021. The party has nominated five women candidates, including practising advocate S Vijayadharani from the Vilavancode constituency. She won the seat for three terms in 2011, 2016, and 2021 on a Congress ticket. Rajya Sabha MP Murugan, currently Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, had contested from the Dharapuram constituency and lost by a narrow margin in 2021. He also unsuccessfully contested the 2024 Lok Sabha election from the Nilgiris....