AIADMK announces Shanmugam, Dharmar as Rajya Sabha poll candidates

Opposition AIADMK has announced two of its senior leaders as the party's candidates for the biennial elections to Rajya Sabha.

Former state Law Minister C Ve Shanmugam, who is the party's Villupuram district secretary and R Dharmar, former district secretary of Ramanathapuram and Mudukalathur panchayat union chairperson, have been named as the official candidates by AIADMK coordinator O Panneerselvam and co-coordinator K Palaniswamy on Wednesday night.

The announcement followed an hour-long discussion held at the party headquarters here along with deputy coordinators K P Munusamy and R Vaithilingam on Wednesday. Of the six vacancies from the state, the ruling DMK and AIADMK have three retiring members each. AIADMK's A Navaneethakrishnan, S R Balasubramoniyan and A Vijayakumar are the three MPs, whose term of office would expire.

The DMK has named three candidates for the Rajya Sabha polls and announced allotment of a seat to key ally, the Congress party.

In view of the strength of DMK and its allies (159, including the Speaker) and the AIADMK and its partners (75) in the 234-member Assembly, a contest appears unlikely and all the six vacancies are expected to be filled without a contest.

On May 12, the Election Commission announced biennial elections as the terms of 57 Rajya Sabha members from 15 states were due to expire during June-August 2022.