Despite its apparent failure to find favour with the ruling AIADMK for a Rajya Sabha (RS) seat, the CPI has entered the fray by fielding its national secretary
D Raja, who will be filing his nomination on Monday for the elections to the Upper House. With this, the poll scene in the State has taken an interesting twist and the field has been set for the biennial elections to six seats from the State.
Even as the CPM prepares to pledge its support to its Leftist cousin, actor-politico Vijayakanth’s DMDK seemed set to prop up its own candidate. If the DMDK does jump into the fray, who will clinch the sixth Rajya Sabha seat from Tamil Nadu is a question that would be wrought with uncertainty. As of now confusion reigns supreme.
CPI General Secretary Sudhakar Reddy on Sunday formally announced that his party would field Raja, who has acquired prominence as its national face, in the coming RS polls.
But, it was preceded by twists and turns in the past week and hectic deliberations within the party since Saturday. For, even after the CPI announced five candidates for the RS polls, the party was hoping to get the AIADMK’s support for its nominee and the party leaders even called Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa with hope. But, their request was turned down.
State Secretary D Pandian was also said to be in the race, though he was the one who addressed the media with Reddy. Later, the CPI brass visited the CPM office to solicit its support.