2016 Rajya Sabha Election - AIADMK, DMK candidates to be elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha Tuesday May 31,2016

Four candidates belonging to the ruling AIADMK and two from DMK would be elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha from Tamil Nadu if their nomination papers are found to be in the prescribed format.

As the last date for filing of nomination ended on Tuesday evening May 31,2016, four from AIADMK, two from DMK and six independent candidates have evinced interest in contesting the election. Since independent candidates may not have the required number of nominations from MLAs, their papers would be rejected when scrutiny takes place on Wednesday.

If their papers are rejected, there will only be six candidates in fray to fill six vacancies to the Upper House from Tamil Nadu. The six will be elected unopposed.

With the election of six members, AIADMK’s strength in Rajya Sabha will go up from 12 to 13, while DMK will have five members as against three MPs now.

Since Friday June 03,2016 is the last day for withdrawal of nominations, the Election Commission will announce on Friday that all six candidates have been elected unopposed.

Six members — three from AIADMK, two from DMK and one  from Congress — will retire on June 29. The candidates who would be elected unopposed are S.R. Balasubramanian, R. Vaithilingam, A. Navaneethakrishnan and A. Vijayakumar of AIADMK and T.K.S. Elangovan and R.S. Bharati from DMK.

The members who are retiring on June 29 are AIADMK floor leader in Rajya Sabha Navaneethakrishnan, Manoj Paul Pandian and Rabi Bernard, and K.P. Ramalingam and S. Thangavelu of DMK and Congress’s E.M. Sudharsana Natchiappan.