With the tenure of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the Rajya Sabha ending recently, the Congress high command has approached its ally the DMK to get him elected to the Upper House from Tamil Nadu. Biennial elections are due in the State next month with six vacancies.
“Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel called DMK president M.K. Stalin requesting him to part with one of the three seats that the party is likely to win from Tamil Nadu,” sources in the DMK told The Hindu on Thursday.
The Congress leaders are also in touch with DMK Parliamentary Party leader T.R. Baalu to get the seat for Dr. Singh.
Though Mr. Stalin has not taken any decision, the request of the Congress has put the DMK in a spot since it has already committed the seats to MDMK general secretary Vaiko and two of its own aspirants.
Dr. Singh was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Assam and the Congress does not have adequate strength to re-elect him.
“They have been talking about it for two years and never made any approach. Now suddenly Mr. Patel called our leader for a seat. This is how the Congress leadership takes care of a former Prime Minister. They could have arranged a seat from Karnataka,” said a DMK source.
The six vacancies would arise due to the completion of tenure of four AIADMK MPs and CPI leader D.Raja, who was elected with DMK’s support. Besides, DMK’s Kanimozhi was recently elected to the Lok Sabha from Thoothukudi.
In the meantime, the increase in the number of DMK MLAs in the wake of the party’s good performance in the Assembly by-polls, had given the party the possibility of winning a third seat.
