Six Candidates Elected Unopposed to Rajya Sabha from Tamil Nadu Parties
In a significant political development, six candidates nominated by major Tamil Nadu parties were elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha on Friday. The election concluded without any polling after the nominations of seven independent candidates were rejected due to deficiencies.
Parties Secure Seats Through Alliances
The DMK alliance, commanding 158 MLAs in the state assembly, successfully secured four Rajya Sabha seats. From the DMK camp, veteran leader Tiruchi Siva and J Constandine Ravindran achieved unopposed victories. Due to a pre-poll arrangement between the DMK and DMDK, party treasurer L K Sudhish became the first Member of Parliament from the DMDK. Similarly, Congress functionary Christopher Manickam, another DMK ally, also secured a seat without contest.
AIADMK and PMK Candidates Also Elected
AIADMK veteran and former deputy Speaker M Thambidurai was elected unopposed. Following a pre-poll deal between the AIADMK and PMK, PMK president and former Union minister Anbumani Ramadoss, an AIADMK ally, returned to the Upper House for the third time. Notably, Sowmiya Anbumani, who was named as an alternate candidate for her spouse, withdrew her nomination before the scrutiny process.
Independent Nominations Rejected
The nominations of seven independent candidates, including P Swaminaathun, the personal assistant of PMK founder S Ramadoss, were rejected due to deficiencies. This occurred during the scrutiny of nominations from 14 candidates. With no valid independent candidates remaining, the election was finalized without any polling, marking a smooth conclusion to the Rajya Sabha selection process in Tamil Nadu.
