Chennai, March 4: The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) is set to nominate senior leader M. Thambidurai and Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) President Anbumani Ramadas for the Rajya Sabha elections scheduled for March 16 in Tamil Nadu.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) issued a notification for the Rajya Sabha elections on February 18, with the nomination process commencing on February 26. The deadline for filing nominations is March 5.
Based on its current strength in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly and support from alliance partners, the AIADMK-led coalition is considered well-positioned to secure two seats in the upper house of Parliament.
According to party sources, one of the two seats is expected to be allocated to the PMK, a key ally in the AIADMK-led front. PMK President Anbumani Ramadas is anticipated to be the party’s candidate for this seat.
The second seat is likely to go to AIADMK senior leader M. Thambidurai, a former Union Minister and Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha, who is currently serving as an MP.
The decision to allocate a Rajya Sabha seat to the PMK was made during a meeting of the AIADMK Executive Committee.
Announcing this arrangement, AIADMK General Secretary and Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami stated that the PMK would contest one of the two seats in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections on March 16.
The AIADMK’s strength in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly has diminished since the 2021 Assembly elections, where the party won 66 seats. Several legislators have resigned after joining the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), including O. Panneerselvam, Manoj Pandian, R. Vaithilingam, K. Ayyappan, and K.A. Sengottaiyan.
Additionally, the passing of MLA Amul Kandasamy from Valparai further reduced the party’s numbers.
As a result, the AIADMK currently has approximately 60 legislators in the Assembly.
However, the party expects support from its coalition partners, including three PMK legislators and four from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
With this backing, the AIADMK-led alliance could gather around 66 votes, which is considered sufficient to secure victories for both candidates in the Rajya Sabha elections.
The numbers appear promising, leading AIADMK leadership to express confidence in sending both their candidate and that of their ally to the upper house in the upcoming elections.
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