As many as seven candidates of political parties are likely to enter the fray for the six Rajya Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu, with the DMK also hinting at contesting the biennial election.
Five candidates of the ruling AIADMK have already filed their nominations. The CPI will enter the fray, as suggested by AIADMK general secretary and Chief Minister Jayalalithaa. If the DMK too contests the poll, voting will be necessary.
CPI State secretary D. Pandian met his CPI(M) counterpart G. Ramakrishnan and discussed the Rajya Sabha poll scene in detail.
The CPI has convened the State executive committee meeting on June 15 and the candidate will be finalised in the meeting. The party’s national council secretary D. Raja, whose tenure has come to an end, is likely to get re-nominated. Left leaders in Delhi also discussed the issue. The State unit of the CPI(M) will make a formal announcement after the secretariat meeting on June 16.
The two parties together have 18 members in the Assembly and depend on the ruling party for the additional numbers. The AIADMK and the Left could win all the six seats by polling the votes in their kitty. But it will materialise only if Desiya Murpokku Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMDK) keeps away from the polls. The CPI candidate will be in trouble if DMDK leader Vijayakant changes his mind and extends support to the DMK candidate.
When asked whether his party would seek the support of others, DMK president M. Karunanidhi on Thursday told reporters that the DMK would approach all political parties, hinting that his party would also field a candidate.
But he said the issue of Rajya Sabha polls did not come up at a party meeting, which was primarily convened to discuss raising election funds. The DMK can win the election only if it gets the support of the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMDK) led by actor Vijayakant. “We don’t attach any importance to the Rajya Sabha polls. Just for one seat, we cannot mortgage our party’s future. Anyway, a final decision will be taken by our leaders,” said V.C. Chandrakumar, DMDK whip in the Assembly.
