Rajya Sabha elections: Tiruchi Siva, Thambidurai renominated

CHENNAI: DMK and AIADMK on Wednesday renominated veteran leaders Tiruchi N Siva and M Thambidurai, respectively, for the Rajya Sabha elections. These nominations came on the eve of the deadline for the biennial elections to fill six vacancies.The DMK alliance, with its majority in the legislature, is set to secure four seats, while the AIADMK alliance will win the remaining two. Siva expressed his gratitude for the recognition of his service and pledged to continue his duties with sincerity. “I’ll fulfil the aspirations of the party. I’ll voice the DMK’s ideologies and uphold the basic principles of the Constitution, and advocate for pluralism, federalism and secularism,” Siva told TOI.Siva is a five-term parliamentarian who was previously elected from the Pudukottai Lok Sabha seat in 1996. Chief minister and DMK president M K Stalin announced his candidature.DMK nominated J Constandine Ravindran, the party secretary for the media and public relations wing, for a second seat. DMK allocated one seat each to its allies, the Congress and Vijayakanth’s DMDK, as per its pre-poll arrangement on Wednesday. “Thanks to chief minister and DMDK general secretary Premalatha Vijayakanth for the opportunity,” DMDK treasurer L K Sudhish told reporters in Anna Arivalayam. He is scheduled to file his nomination papers at the assembly secretariat on Thursday noon. Similarly, AIADMK ally PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss, a three-time parliamentarian, will also file his nomination in the morning.In the Congress camp, former Madhya Pradesh Congress MP Meenakshi Natarajan, a key member of Rahul Gandhi’s circle, is considered a likely candidate for the nomination. However, some leaders within the TNCC indicated that a party cadre from Tamil Nadu would be chosen for the Rajya Sabha this time. “AICC functionary Christopher Tilak, former MP Peter Alphonse are also frontrunners for the lone RS seat,” said a senior Congress leader.