Rajya Sabha contest unlikely in Tamil Nadu

CHENNAI: The nomination papers of candidates of AIADMK, DMK and CPI-M for Rajya Sabha were accepted today, paving the way for all six of them to be nominated to the Upper House without polling process scheduled for February 7.

Nominations of AIADMK's L Sasikala Pushpa, Vijila Satyanand, S Muthukaruppan and AK Selvaraj, Tiruchi N Siva of DMK and CPI-M's TK Rangarajan were today accepted after scrutiny, Returning Officer AMP Jamaludeen said.

Two nominations were rejected, he said in a release. With the nominations of these six being accepted for an equal number of vacancies, the polling process scheduled on February 7, is most unlikely with no other parties, including main opposition DMDK fielding candidates.

The last date for withdrawal is January 31. The Rajya Sabha terms of DMK's AA Jinnah and Vasanthi Stanley, G K Vasan and Jayanthi Natarajan (both Congress), AIADMK's N Balaganga and that of Rangarajan will end by April 2. Rangarajan was renominated for a successive term.