AIADMK announces candidates for RS polls

Chennai, May 27 (UNI) The main Opposition AIADMK today announced former MP V Maitreyan and party functionary A Ilavarasan as its candidates for the biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha from Tamil Nadu.

In a statement here, AIADMK Supremo J Jayalalithaa announced the list of candidates.

While Dr Maitreyan was the Medical wing secretary of the party, Mr Elavarasan was the Perambalur District Secretary of the AIADMK.

This would be the second term for Dr Maitreyan in the Upper House of Parliament. He had also unsuccessfully contested against BJP candidate K N Lakshmanan from Mylapore in the 2001 Assembly polls.

Six seats would fall vacant from the state, of which the AIADMK would contest two and the remaining were shared by the DMK (two) and its DPA partners Congress and CPI one each.

Of the six members, whose term would expire on July 24, only one, Mr K P K Kumaran is from the DMK. On the other hand, the AIADMK was losing four MPs, that included Mr R Kamaraj, Ms L G Indira, Mr S S Chandran and Mr P G Narayanan. Mr B S Gnanadesikan of Congress is the sixth member.

While the DMK had nominated Chief Minister M Karunandhi's poet daughter Kanizmozhi and former MP Trichy N Siva as its candidates, the CPI had announced its National Secretary D Raja as the candidate.

The Congress was yet to announce its candidate.

All the six were likely to be elected unopposed as Mr Karunanidhi had averted a contest by deciding against fielding a fifth candidate on behalf of the DMK-led DPA to prevent horse trading.

UNI