Rajya Sabha polls: All eyes on sixth seat in TN

Chennai, May 17: A keen contest is on the cards for sixth seat in the biennial election, scheduled for June 15, to fill up six Rajya Sabha seats from Tamil Nadu.

Neither the ruling DMK, which had combined strength of 165 MLAs in the 234-member Assembly, nor the Opposition AIADMK, with 66 seats, including six MDMK members, are in a position to win the sixth seat.

A minimum of 34 votes are required to elect a member to the Upper House and both the AIADMK and the DMK-led allies fall short by two members.

The AIADMK could have romped home easily had the two MLAs of the Dalit Panthers of India (DPI) not walked out from the AIADMK-led alliance.

The party's strength in the House recently came down to 60 when Mr S V Shanmugam, representing Madurai west, died recently.

He, however, would not have been a source of strength as he had rebelled against the party leadership and openly supported the DMK.

Even if Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam's (DMDK) lone member, actor Vijayakanth, joins hands with one party or the other, they would still require one more vote to win the sixth seat.

The ruling DMK, however, is in an advantageous position as, in the event of second preferential vote, it would win comfortably the sixth seat.

It would be interesting to note whether there would be any cross voting among the allies of the DMK.

Of the six members whose term expires on July 27, only Mr K P K Kumaran is from the DMK. On the otherhand, the AIADMK will be losing four MPs and can get back only one comfortably. It has to sweat it out for the second seat. The DMK, which depends on the support of its allies, the Congress, PMK, CPI (M) and CPI besides the Dalit Panthers, is in a position to win four seats comfortably and has to struggle for the fifth.

The DMK is likely to allot one seat each to the Congress and the CPI.

Whether the DMK would nominate Poet Kanimozhi, daughter of Chief Minister M Karunanidhi for the Upper House, is a hot topic doing the rounds in the political arena.

While DMK sources maintain the party supremo would decide the candidates, informed sources do not rule out the possibility of Mr Karunanidhi fielding Ms Kanimozhi or his son M K Azhagiri.

The Maduari-based Azhagiri had always been a backseat driver and never preferred active politics. He was at the centre of controversy after the May 9 violent attack on 'Dinakaran' daily office, owned by Mr Kalanidhi Maran of the Sun TV network, after it carried a survey on Mr Karunanidhi's political heir and portrayed Mr Azhagiri in poor light.

The Madurai violence and subsequent developments cost Mr Dayanidhi Maran his cabinet berth and after his exit, the DMK leadership was keen on having someone from the family in Delhi, the sources said.

UNI