Chennai: Former Union Minister K V Thangkabalu has decided not to contest the April 24 Lok Sabha election, the second prominent leader after Union Shipping Minister G K Vasan to opt out of the poll race.
A statement from the former TNCC president's office here said Thangkabalu had not filed request with the state unit seeking ticket to contest Salem or any other seat and only three local leaders had nominated him.
The statement recalled that Thangkabalu had quit as TNCC chief in 2011 owning moral responsibility for the party's loss in the Assembly election in which Congress could win only five seats out of the 63 it contest in alliance with DMK.
