EC announces Rajya Sabha bypoll from TN; Ex-AG AIADMK nominee

, Jun 12: Ruling

in Tamil Nadu today named former state advocate general A Navaneethakrishnan as its candidate for the July 3 by-election to Rajya Sabha to fill the vacancy caused by the disqualification of DMK member T M Selvaganapathy, following his conviction in a bribery case.

Barely hours after the Election Commission announced the schedule for the bypoll, party supremo J Jayalalithaa in a release tonight announced the candidature of Navaneethakrishnan, who had also served as Chairman of Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission.

AIADMK at present has ten members in the Rajya Sabha and a strength of 151 in the 234-member state assembly. A release by state Chief Electoral Officer Praveen Kumar earlier in the day said the notification for the bypoll would be issued on June 16, while the last date for nominations would be June 23 and scrutiny would be on the following day.

The last date for withdrawal of nominations is June 26 and if there was a need, polling would be held on July 3 and votes counted on the same day, he said. Selvaganapathy, a former AIADMK minister, and four others were sentenced to two years rigorous imprisonment by Special CBI Judge S Malathi in Chennai on April 17 last in connection with alleged irregularities construction of cremation sheds in Nagapattinam District during the 1991-96 AIADMK regime. He had joined the DMK a few years ago.

PTI