AIADMK candidate N Gokulakrishnan all set to be elected to Rajya Sabha from Puducherry

PUDUCHERRY: AIADMK candidate N Gokulakrishnan is all set to be elected to the lone Rajya Sabha seat from here in the September 28 biennial election as he was the lone candidate left in the fray after his nomination papers were found in order during scrutiny while that of four independents were rejected.

The nomination papers of Gokulakrishnan was accepted at the end of scrutiny by Returning Officer (RO) S Mohandass today and that of the independents rejected for want of documents in support of their nominations.

With Gokulakrishnan alone being left in the fray, he will be declared elected unopposed to the Upper House on September 21.

"The nomination of Gokulakrishnan was found to be in order and was accepted, while that of four independents were rejected at the end of scrutiny for want of documents in support of their nominations," Mohandass told reporters.

The RO said none of the independents or their agents turned up during scrutiny at 12 noon today as was notified.

He said Chief Electoral Officer V Candavelou, the observer of Election Commission of India for the poll, was also present during scrutiny.

Mohandass said a formal declaration of election would be made on September 21,the last date for withdrawal of candidatures.

Yesterday, in a sudden political development, former allies AIADMK and AINRC backed a common candidate, Gokulakrishnan, for the RS poll. He had earlier enrolled himself as an AIADMK member in the presence of two ministers from Tamil Nadu, R Kamaraj and M C Sampath.

AIADMK General Secretary and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had said in Chennai that the party's Parliamentary Board had decided to field Gokulakrishnan as its candidate.

Gokulakrishnan said he would call on Jayalalithaa in Chennai soon to express his gratitude to her.

AINRC had contested the Assembly poll here in 2011 in alliance with AIADMK, but ditched it during ministry formation even as it secured outside support of an Independent.

AINRC has a strength of 15 members in the 30 member Assembly with support of an Independent member from outside.

Puducherry had its first Rajya Sabha poll in 1963 and the present poll is the ninth in the series.

The election has been necessitated as the term of office of sitting member P Kannan ends on October 6.