The AIADMK on Saturday named A. Mohammed John, former Minister, and N. Chandrasekaran, secretary of the Mettur city unit of the party, as candidates for the two Rajya Sabha seats that will face polls in mid-July.
In 2011, Mr. John, who was elected from the Ranipet constituency in Vellore district, was given the portfolio of Backward Classes, Most Backward Classes, Denotified Communities, Overseas Indians, Refugees and Evacuees and Minorities, including Wakf. He held the post till June 2013.
The announcement, made by the AIADMK’s coordinator and Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam and co-coordinator and Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami through a release, ended speculation about possible candidates of the party as several prominent leaders, including M. Thambi Durai, Natham R. Viswanathan, K.P. Munusamy, S.Gokula Indira, A. Anwhar Raajhaa and Manoj H. Pandian, were said to be vying for the two slots in the Rajya Sabha. The release stated that the decision was taken by the party's high-powered committee.
The nomination of a Muslim figure was aimed at addressing the criticism levelled against the AIADMK during the distribution of party tickets for the Lok Sabha polls that no Muslim was fielded as a candidate then.
The AIADMK added that the other Rajya Sabha seat would be allotted to the Pattali Makkal Katchi, as decided at the time of alliance for the Lok Sabha elections in March. A.C. Shanmugam, founder of the New Justice Party, would contest on the symbol of “Two Leaves” in the Vellore parliamentary constituency, which will go to the polls in August.
