The upcoming legislative election is the first assembly poll for Edappadi Palaniswami as the Chief Minister and the first for TTV Dhinakaran's AMMK party. Dhinakaran had launched the party as an outfit to rival the ADMK after the latter had removed VK Sasikala from the party. AMMK was established in 2018 and is built to defeat ADMK from the rule. Along with the battle to emerge victoriously, both parties are in the race to claim the legacy of late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa. 

The assembly polls would be an acid test for both parties to path their future and while ADMK uses the banner of Jayalalithaa and the governance for the last four years to reach the voters, AMMK would seek the votes by displaying its allegiance to Jayalalithaa. As the political parties in the state are finalizing the alliance and announcing the list of candidates and constituencies, ADMK and AMMK had also released the list of constituencies and candidates. 

ADMK had released the candidates for 177 constituencies apart from allotting the seats to the alliance, AMMK had released the candidates for 65 constituencies. The ADMK had initially released the first list of candidates for six constituencies and it had later released the names of the candidates for the rest 171 seats and AMMK had on Wednesday released the first list of candidates for 15 constituencies and it had released the second list of candidates for 50 constituencies on Thursday.

With the available list of candidates so far, it can be learned that AMMK will directly battle against the top leaders of ADMK in some of the constituencies. These constituencies will see a tough fight between the current and former ministers and MLAs. Let's take a look at such constituencies where both parties will fight to claim Jayalalithaa's legacy, 

• Edappadi (Salem): Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami is representing the constituency in the current assembly and he will be contesting again from this constituency in the upcoming polls. To give a tough fight to the Chief Minister, Dhinakaran has fielded Pookadai Sekar as the AMMK candidate. Sekar is the Salem district secretary of AMMK.
• Kovilpatti (Tuticorin): TTV Dhinakaran has picked this constituency this time to contest in the polls and he is going to fight against senior Tamil Nadu Minister Kadambur Raju, who is a native of Tuticorin. Raju has been serving as an MLA from Kovilpatti in the current assembly and asserted that he will yield the votes from the supporters of Jayalalithaa. 
• Villupuram (Villupuram): One of the notable constituencies in Tamil Nadu and incumbent MLA and Tamil Nadu Law Minister CV Shanmugam will be contesting from Villupuram and to stand against the minister, Dhinakaran had fielded Balasundaram, who is AMMK's district secretary of Villupuram South district. 
• Maduravoyal (Chennai): Tamil Nadu Minister and sitting MLA Benjamin has got the ticket to contest again and AMMK's Lucky Murugan has got the prospect to contest against the minister. Murugan has been serving as AMMK's District Secretary for Thiruvallur South district. 
• Bodinayakkanur (Theni): Native man O Panneerselvam, who is the Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister, will be contesting again from this constituency and Dhinakaran has named Muthusamy as the candidate to fight against Panneerselvam. Muthusamy has been serving as AMMK's Theni South district secretary. 
• Dindigul (Dindigul): Tamil Nadu Forest Minister and incumbent MLA Dindigul Sreenivasan has been awarded the ticket to contest frm Dindigul again. Known for his controversial speech, the minister will be battling against AMMK's Ramuthevar, who is serving as AMMK's secretary for Dindigul East district. 
• Orathanadu (Thanjavur): ADMK has given a ticket to senior party leader Vaithilingam to contest in the polls. Vaithilingam, who was the former minister in Jayalalithaa's cabinet, has been serving as a Rajya Sabha MP from Tamil Nadu. Though he has been serving in Parliament, he has been given a ticket to contest in the assembly polls. AMMK has nominated Sekar as Orathanadu's candidate to take on Vaithilingam. 
• Rasipuram (Namakkal): ADMK has nominated Tamil Nadu Minister and sitting MLA Saroja as the party's candidate for Rasipuram. Being one among 15 women candidates of ADMK, Saroja will be facing AMMK's Deputy leader Anbazhagan in Rasipuram. Anbazhagan was also a former MLA and hopes to defeat the incumbent.
• Tambaram (Chennai): ADMK has nominated former Tamil Nadu Minister TKM Chinnaiyah as the candidate for Tambaram. Chinnaiyah had served as the minister in Jayalalithaa's cabinet and he has a stronghold in south Chennai and AMMK has named Karikalan to contest in Tambaram against the former minister. Karikalan has been serving as the AMMK's secretary for Chengalpattu North district. 
• T Nagar (Chennai): Incumbent legislator Sathyanarayanan has been given ADMK's ticket to contest again from downtown Chennai and AMMK has fielded Paraneeswaran as its candidate to fight against Sathya. Paraneeswaran has been serving as AMMK's student wing secretary and as the district secretary in Chennai. 
• Madhavaram (Chennai): ADMK has given a ticket to former minister Madhavaram Moorthy to contest in Madhavaram while AMMK has fielded Dhankshnamoorthy as the candidate for Madhavaram to contest against the former minister. 
• Thiruparankundram (Madurai): ADMK has picked Rajan Chellappa, former Mayor of Madurai, as the candidate for Thiruparankundram and he is currently serving as an ADMK MLA from Madurai North and he also had served as Rajya Sabha MP. To take him in his district, AMMK has fielded senior leader David Annadurai as the candidate for Thiruparankundram. 
• Kinathukadavu (Coimbatore): Former minister Damodharan had won the ADMK ticket to contest in the polls from this constituency while AMMK has fielded former MLA Rohini Krishnakumar as the candidate to defeat the former minister.