Chennai: Candidates from DMK and AIADMK (three each) for the six Rajya Sabha seats that falls vacant in Tamilnadu this month are expected to file their nominations tomorrow.
The election was being held to fill up the vacancies following the retirement of five members – T Rathinavel, V Maitreyan, K B Arjunan, R Lakshmanan (all AIADMK), D Raja (CPI)- and due to the resignation of DMK’s Kanimozhi following her election to the Lok Sabha.
With the issuance of the notification, filing of nominations opened 1 July. The last date for filing nominations is tomorrow. Scrutiny would take place the next day and the last date for withdrawals is 11 July. Elections, if necessary, would be held on 18 July and the counting would be taken up the same day.
The DMK on Monday announced its candidates for two of three seats it could contest. As per an earlier agreement, DMK allotted one set to MDMK.
DMK president M K Stalin, in a statement here, said that M Shanmugham, General Secretary of Labour Progressive Front (LPF) and advocate P Wilson would be the party’s candidate for the two Rajya Sabha seats. MDMK general secretary Vaiko is the third candidate. Wilson was instrumental in getting the legal hurdles cleared for the burial of late DMK chief M Karunanidhi at Marina after his death in August last year, after the State government denied permission. The DMK, which has 100 MLAs in the 234-member Assembly, could win three seats, as each candidate needed the support of 34 MLAs each. It’s ally the Congress has seven MLAs.
The ruling AIADMK has announced A Mohammed John and N Chandrasekaran as its candidates to contest in the Rajya Sabha elections. The announcement was made by Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, the coordinator and joint coordinator of the AIADMK, respectively, after a consultation meeting.
Out of the three, it has allotted one seat to its alliance party PMK, as per a pre-poll pact. PMK’s youth wing secretary Anbumani Ramadoss will contest in this seat. It looks likely that all six from Tamilnadu would be elected unopposed.