RK Nagar bypoll: Actor Vishal to file nominations today

Actor Vishal, who will be contesting Chennai's RK Nagar by poll as an independent candidate will file his nomination papers on Monday.

The actor will be paying his respects to late AIADMK Supremo J Jayalalithaa, at her memorial at 10 am before filing his nomination at the RK Nagar election office. The by-election to the assembly seat was necessitated after the death of legislator and chief minister JJayalalithaa. Vishal will visit the Ramapuram house of AIADMK's late founder, M G Ramachandran before heading to the Amma Memorial at the Marina Beach.

Besides opposition DMK, ruling AIADMK's E Madhusudhanan and the party's sidelined leader T T V Dhinakaran are contesting for the prestigious seat. "Vishal, chief of the Tamil Film Producers Council (TFPC) and general secretary of South Indian Artistes Association (SIAA) will file his nomination on Monday," his office said, adding that he will be contesting as an Independent candidate. Last year, Vishal was elected general secretary of SIAA, an actors' body, in a bitterly fought election. Later, he was also elected as the head of the TFPC and has been actively campaigning against piracy, one of the major issues in Tamil cinema.