Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa (Photo: PTI/File)
Chennai/Puducherry: In a sudden political development in Puducherry, former allies AIADMK and AINRC backed a common candidate for the September 28 Rajya Sabha election, hinting at a possible political realignment in the Union Territory. In a statement in Chennai, AIADMK general secretary and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa said the party’s Parliamentary Board had decided to field N. Gokulakrishnan as its candidate for the election. In Puducherry, Gokulakrishnan filed his nomination for the biennial poll, accompanied by Chief Minister N. Rangasamy and his cabinet colleagues.
His nomination was proposed by Puducherry AIADMK legislature party leader P. Purushothaman, AIADMK deputy legislature party leader A. Anbalagan and MLA Om Sakthi Segar. Gokulakrishnan had earlier enrolled himself as an AIADMK member at a separate venue in the town.
He joined AIADMK in the presence of two ministers from Tamil Nadu, R. Kamaraj and M.C. Sampath. Rangasamy told mediapersons that Gokulakrishnan has filed the papers as AIADMK nominee. “We are supporting his candidature,” he said.
This is the first time after a 38-year gap that AIADMK is seeking election to Rajya Sabha fr-om Puducherry when party nominee V.P.M. Samy was elected in 1977 to the Upper House Returning officer S. Mohandoss said five nominations had been filed for the seat since the process of election began with publication of the statutory notifi-cation on September 10. The candidates are: Dr K. Padmarajan from Mettur (Tamil Nadu), Simon Chittbabu, J N Dharmarajan, K Gnanasekaran (all filed papers as Independents) and N Gokulakrishnan (AIADMK). All India N R Congress (AINRC) had contested the Assembly poll in 2011 in alliance with AIADMK, but ditched the party during ministry formation even as it secured outside support of an Independent. AINRC has a strength of 15 in the 30-member Assembly, including the Speaker.
Party functionaries greeted Gokulakrishnan and presented him with shawls. Nominations will be scrutinised on Saturday, while the last date for withdrawals is September 21. The election has been necessitated as the term of office of sitting member P. Kannan ends on October 6.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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