Jayalalithaa nominates four for RS polls

AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa on Wednesday nominated four party leaders, including a former Minister, for the June 11 Rajya Sabha elections.

Ms. Jayalalithaa announced the candidature of R. Vaithilingam, Housing Minister in the previous AIADMK Cabinet, former Rajya Sabha member A. Navaneethakrishnan, advocate A. Vijayakumar and S.R.Balasubramanian for the biennial elections.

Mr. Vaithilingam lost the May 16 Assembly elections from Orathanadu, while Mr. Balasubramanian joined the party recently after walking out of the G.K.Vasan-led Tamil Maanila Congress protesting against its decision to align with the DMDK-PWF combine for the polls. The tenure of six RS members from Tamil Nadu will end on June 29.

AIADMK’s Navaneethakrishnan, A W Rabi Bernard and P H Paul Manoj Pandian and DMK’s K P Ramalingam and S Thangavelu and former Union Minister and Congress leader Sudarsana Natchiappan are those who will be retiring next month.

Out of the six members, Mr. Navaneethakrishnan was elected in 2014 and others in 2010. He filled the vacancy caused by the disqualification of DMK’s T M Selvaganapathi.