Decks cleared for RS polls, six to get elected unopposed

Chennai, Mar 15 (UNI) After many turn of events, the decks are finally cleared for the Rajya Sabha elections from Tamil Nadu Assembly and the six candidates, in the fray, are all set to get elected unopposed as the last date for filing of nominations drew to a close today.

When the nominations closed at 1500 hrs, there were only six serious candidates left in the fray to fill up six vacancies and they would be formally declared unopposed on March 19, the last date for withdrawal.

Those who would get elected to the Rajya Sabha are Mr A A Jinnah, Ms Vasanthi Stanley (DMK), Union Minister G K Vasan and Congress spokesperson Ms Jayanthi Natarajan, Mr T K Rengarajan (CPI-M) and Mr N Balaganga (AIADMK).

The six vacancies were caused by the end of tenure of Mr Vasan (Congress), R Shanmugasundaram (DMK), Advocate N Jothi, Thanga Tamilselvan, Syed Khan and Perumal (AIADMK) on April two.

The Congress while renominating Mr Vasan, has fielded Ms Natarajan for the record fourth term. She got the nod amid wide speculations that the party might field TNCC President M Krishnasamy or AICC member Veerappa Moily.

DMK, however, nominated lesser known personalities in the party contrary to expectations that it would field party Organisation Secretary T K S Elangovan and Ms Tamizhachi Thangapandian, who was given the honour of hoisting the party flag at the Tirunelveli youth wing conference.

The CPI(M) has nominated its veteran leader and central committee member, while the AIADMK has given chance to Mr Balaganga, who had unsuccessfuly contested against former Union Minister Dayanidhi Maran from Central Madras Parliamentary constituency in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections and in the mayoral elections against M K Stalin for the Chennai Corporation.

None expected that the election would be such a smooth affair, when the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), aggrieved over denial of a seat , raised a banner of revolt against the DMK and the main opposition AIADMK queering the pitch by offering a seat to its ally MDMK in a bid to force an election.

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