Chennai: The candidates of ruling DMK on Tuesday filed their nomination papers for the 4 October byelections to two Rajya Sabha seats from the Tamilnadu Assembly.
Chief Minister and DMK president M K Stalin had on 14 September announced that Dr Kanimozhi NVN Somu and KRN Rajesh Kumar will be the party candidates for the two seats.
Accordingly, both the candidates filed their nominations before the Returning Officer and State Legislative Assembly Secretary K Srinivasan at the Secretariat here in the presence of Stalin, DMK MPs Trichy N Siva and Lok Sabha MP Kanimozhi.
Kanimozhi, daughter of former Union Minister NVN Somu, is a renowned obstetrician, gynaecologist and laparoscopic surgeon.
She had unsuccessfully contested from T Nagar constituency in 2016 Assembly polls but did not get the seat again in 2021.
Rajesh Kumar is the district in-charge for DMK in Namakkal (East) district and is part of DMK Youth Wing.
The elections are being held to fill the vacancies caused by the resignations of AIADMK members K P Munusamy and R Vaithilingam following their election to the State Legislative Assembly.
Taking into account its strength in the State Assembly, the DMK will easily win both the seats.
Filing of nominations for the two seats began on 15 September and today is the last date for filing of nominations.
The scrutiny of nominations will take place on 23 September and the last date for withdrawals is 27 September.
Polling if necessary, would be held on 4 October from 9.00 am to 4.00 pm and the counting of votes will take place the same day.
It may be recalled that of the total three vacant seats, bypoll to fill the vacancy caused by the death of AIADMK MP Mohamedjan was held and DMK nominee M M Abdullah was on 9 September was declared elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha, taking the strength of the DMK in the Upper House of Parliament from seven to eight.
With both Kanimozhi and Rajesh Kumar all set to declared elected unopposed as none others have filed the nominations, the DMK will become emerge as the fourth largest party in Rajya Sabha with 10 members.
BJP tops the list in the Upper House of Parliament with 94 MPs, followed by followed by Congress (34) and Trinamool Congress (12).