AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalitha said in a statement today that the decision to contest from five Assembly constituencies each in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh was taken at a recent party meeting.

In Maharashtra, the party has chosen to contest from Matunga and Chembur where the population is predominantly South Indian. Dharavi, which is Asia's biggest slum, will also have an AIADMK candidate. Several of the slum dwellers are unskilled labourers from the South.

In Andhra, the break-up is as follows: Chittoor -- S A Bachar; Veppanchery -- Davamani Aasirvadam; Nagari -- Dr Ambrose Wilson; Puthur --T P Ramasamy; and Tirupati -- N Subramania Aachari.

In Maharashtra, it is: Matunga -- Geetha Dasaradan; Chembur -- V Krishnan; Trombay -- S A Jamathullah; Mazgaon -- N Kaliyaperumal; and Dharavi --Kanitha Vakmare.