AIADMK ex-min, long-time functionary named for RS polls

Chennai: The ruling AIADMK on Saturday announced A. Mohammedjan, a Minister in late Jayalalithaa’s Cabinet and N. Chandrasekharan, a local leader from Mettur belonging to Scheduled Caste community, as the party candidates for the July 18 Rajya Sabha elections from Tamil Nadu. The party also announced A. C. Shanmugam, president of New Justice Party, as the alliance candidate for Vellore Lok Sabha constituency where the election was rescinded in April.

Mohammedjan had served as Backward Classes and Minorities Welfare Minister from 2011 to 2013 and is also the AIADMK's minority welfare wing joint secretary from Vellore (East) party district. He was elected to the Assembly from Ranipet constituency in 2011.

Chandrasekaran, a long-time party functionary, is the AIADMK's Mettur (Salem suburban party district) town party secretary. AIADMK’s Co-coordinator and Co-ordinator, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, respectively, named the candidates and announced that one seat has been allotted to Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) as per a pre-poll pact with that party.

“We inform that as per the pre-poll arrangement for the recently-held Lok Sabha elections, the one remaining seat has been assigned to the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK),” the party said in a release. The announcement came following a meeting of the party leadership at their headquarters in Royapettah here.

In this biennial poll to fill the six vacancies from Tamil Nadu to the Upper House of Parliament, the opposition DMK had allotted a seat to ally MDMK, while it nominated two of its candidates.

The AIADMK nominees are expected to file their papers on July 8, the last day of filing nominations. Based on the respective strength of the AIADMK and main opposition DMK, the two parties can elect three candidates each. In the unlikely event of a contest, polls will be held on July 18.

The AIADMK has chosen against re-nominating its Rajya Sabha MPs, including veteran V. Maithreyan who had aligned with Mr. Panneerselvam soon after he rebelled against the V. K. Sasikala faction post former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa’s demise.

Along with Maitreyan, AIADMK MPs: T. Rathinavel, K. R. Arjunan and R. Lakshmanan’s six-year term will end on July 24. Apart from these four retiring MPs, the AIADMK currently has eight Rajya Sabha MPs and one Lok Sabha MP – P. Raveendranath Kumar who is son of Deputy Chief Minister.

CPI leader D. Raja’s term would also end on July 24 while DMK’s Kanimozhi was elected to the Lok Sabha from Thoothukudi Parliamentary constituency in the April General Elections and her seat too is up for polls.