AIADMK-TMC, DMK candidates to be elected to RS unopposed

The two AIADMK, one Tamil Maanila Congress and three DMK candidates are set to get elected to the Rajya Sabha on March 26 without hitch as their nomination papers were found valid on Monday.

In a statement issued here, Election Officer and Legislative Assembly Secretary K.Srinivasan said the nomination papers filed by M.Thambidurai, K.P.Munusamy (both AIADMK), G.K. Vasan of Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC), and N.R.Elango, Trichy N. Siva and Anthiyur Selvaraj (all three DMK) were found to be valid.

The nomination papers of three independents were rejected.

Vasan is being supported by the ruling AIADMK.

Six Rajya Sabha members from Tamil Nadu -- Sasikala Pushpa, Vijila Sathyanath, S. Muthukaruppan, A.K. Selvaraj (all from AIADMK), Tiruchi Siva of DMK and T.K. Rangarajan of CPI-M -- will retire on April 2.

As per the Election Commission's schedule for the biennial elections, the polling will be held on March 26 and counting of votes taken up the same day.

The ruling AIADMK has 125 MLAs (including the Speaker) in the 234-member Assembly whereas the opposition DMK and its allies have 106 (DMK 98, Congress 7 and IUML 1).

Presently, the AIADMK has 10 members in the Rajya Sabha and the DMK five. Post-elections, the AIADMK strength in the Rajya Sabha is expected to fall to eight whereas DMK's strength will increase to seven. IANS