Tamil Nadu: Rajya Sabha Elections 2013

The DMK chief M. Karunanidhi’s daughter Ms. Kanimozhi was re-elected to Rajya Sabha with Congress support from Tamil Nadu after a contest with actor Vijayakanth’s DMDK candidate. Four AIADMK candidates, including the party leader in Rajya Sabha V. Maitreyan and CPI’s D. Raja, however, registered comfortable wins as expected in the elections for which voting was held for the first time in 17 years.

The 45-year-old Ms. Kanimozhi, an accused in the 2G scam, sailed through the contest for a second term with 31 votes after five Congress’ MLAs voted in her favour along with two votes each from two smaller parties -- Puthiya Thamizhagam and Manithaneya Munnetrak Katchi. One vote of the DMK combine is understood to have been held invalid.

The Congress decision came as a surprise against the backdrop of the bitter separation between the two parties after nine years of friendship in the UPA coalition earlier this year.

The CPI leader D. Raja, for whom AIADMK had extended support, won with 34 votes. He has also been re-elected for a second term to the Rajya Sabha. The Four AIADMK candidates were elected comfortably.

Mr. Maitreyan with 36 votes gets a third term with his election while his other party colleagues Mr. Ratnavel and Mr. Arjunan (36 each) and Mr. Lakshmanan (35) are new entrants to the Upper House of Parliament.

The DMDK, which has suffered dissidence, lost in the elections when its candidate A.R. Elangovan got only 22 votes. Seven dissident DMDK MLAs voted for the ruling AIADMK and its supported candidates.

In the 234-member House, a candidate has to get 34 first preference votes. Three MLAs of PMK boycotted the elections. While the four AIADMK candidates and CPI’s Mr. Raja got elected on the basis of first preference votes, Ms. Kanimozhi won on the basis of counting done by elimination method.

  

TN Rajya Sabha election -2013

Total strength: 234

As PMK boycott the election, the strength of the vote reduces to 233

Each candidate securing 34 will be considered won

Also the one who score least will be eliminated in first round

As none of the voters, voted their second preferential votes, voting is purely based on first preferential votes

All the 7 rebel DMDK MLAs voted (4 voted for AIADMK and 3 voted for CPI)

One vote casted by Congress MLA is invalid (for Kanimozhi)

(1) Maitreyan (AIADMK) – 36 #

(2) Arjunan (AIADMK) - 36

(3) Lakshmanan (AIADMK) – 35

(4) Rathinavel (AIADMK) - 36

(5) D. Raja (CPI) – 34 #

(6) Kanimozhi (DMK) – 31 #

(7) Elangovan (DMDK) – 22

First 6 candidates won the election

# à sitting Rajya Sabha MPs

MEMBERS OF COUNCIL OF STATES (RAJYA SABHA) REPRESENTING TAMIL NADU

Elected Members: 18   

Term of Office: One third of the Members retire on the expiration of every 2 years

Sl.No.	Name of the Member	Party Affiliation	Date of Expiry
	Tmt. Kanimozhi	D.M.K.	24. 07. 2013
	Thiru Tiruchi N. Siva	D.M.K.
	Thiru A.Elavarasan	A.I.A.D.M.K.
	Dr. V.Maitreyan	A.I.A.D.M.K.
	Thiru B.S. Gnanadesikan	I.N.C.
	Thiru D. Raja	C.P.I.
1	Thiru. S. Amir Ali Jinnah,	D.M.K.	02. 04. 2014
2	Tmt. Vasanthi Stanley	D.M.K.
3	Thiru G.K. Vasan	I.N.C.
4	Tmt. Jayanthi Natarajan	I.N.C.
5	Thiru. T.K. Rangarajan	C.P.I.(M)
6	Thiru. N. Balaganga	A.I.A.D.M.K.
7	Dr.K.P. Ramalingam	D.M.K.	29.06.2016
8	Thiru S. Thangavelu	D.M.K.
9	Thiru T.M. Selvaganapathi	D.M.K.
10	Thiru Paul Manoj Pandian	A.I.A.D.M.K.
11	Thiru. E.M.Sudarsana  Natchiappan	I.N.C.
12	Thiru. A. William Rabi Bernard	A.I.A.D.M.K.
13	Tmt. Kanimozhi	D.M.K.
14	Dr. V. Maitreyan	A.I.A.D.M.K.
15	Thiru. Ratnavel	A.I.A.D.M.K.	24. 07.2 019
16	Thiru. Arjunan	A.I.A.D.M.K.
17	Thiru. Lakshmanan	A.I.A.D.M.K.
18	Thiru D. Raja	C.P.I.

Strength of TN Political parties in Rajya Sabha after the 2013 RS elections:-

#	Party	Strength
01	A.I.A.D.M.K.	07
02	D.M.K.	06
03	I.N.C.	03
04	C.P.I. (M)	01
05	C.P.I.	01
Total		18

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DMDK loses one more MLA to Jaya

Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam MLA R. Santhi called on Chief Minister and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary Jayalalithaa at the Secretariat, taking the number of rebel MLAs to six. Ms. Santhi, representing Senthamangalam constituency of the Namakkal district, told reporters later that in her meeting with the Chief Minister, she gave a petition on development works in her constituency. She also greeted Ms. Jayalalithaa on completion of two years in office. The MLA refused to answer questions on the status of her relationship with her party.

Since the DMDK and the AIADMK fell apart openly in February last year, five DMDK MLAs –

·        R. Sundarrajan (Madurai Central Assembly)

·        K. Tamil Azhagan (Tittakudi in Cuddalore district)

·        C. Arun Pandian (Peravurani in Thanjavur)

·        Michael Royappan (Radhapuram in Tirunelveli) and

·        T. Suresh Kumar (Chengam in Tiruvannamalai)

met the Chief Minister in October 2012 and February 2013.

On February 8 this year, the Assembly witnessed an unsavoury scene when MLAs loyal to the DMDK leadership got into fisticuffs with the rebel MLAs, who spoke in support of the AIADMK. A month later, six DMDK MLAs were suspended for one year originally, but the quantum of punishment was reduced to six months subsequently. Even though the five rebel MLAs in the House are seated separately, the official strength of the DMDK remains at 29. It is because of this position that the party is regarded as the principal Opposition party.

Yesterday’s (May 29, 2013) meeting evoked greater curiosity in view of the forthcoming Rajya Sabha elections, which may be held in June to fill vacancies for six seats.

Predictably, the Namakkal district unit of the DMDK criticised Ms. Santhi for her action. DMDK party said that, she has betrayed the party. Ms. Santhi, one of the two DMDK MLAs from Namakkal, is the secretary of the party’s district women’s wing. Till 2005, she remained with the AIADMK, after which she joined the DMDK. In the 2006 Assembly elections, she contested unsuccessfully from Senthamangalam.

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TN - Rajya Sabha elections- a look

TN: Rajya Sabha Elections - a look

With 29 seats in the Assembly, the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) led by Vijayakant is in a position to help another party, especially the DMK, send a candidate to the Rajya Sabha. However, the actor-turned-politician, setting his sights on the next Assembly elections, is not keen on supporting any party in the biennial election to the Upper House of Parliament, which are due to be held to fill six seats that will fall vacant on July 24. Nor is it clear if he will seek the DMK’s support for his own party’s candidate.

DMDK sources said Mr. Vijayakant had not made up his mind and had little inclination towards supporting anyone. “He feels it will be a sort of commitment and bind his party to one alliance or other, first in the coming Lok Sabha polls and then in the Assembly elections. He wants to overcome the image that the DMDK is a middle-level player which cannot seek to expand its base beyond a point,” said a senior party leader.

A candidate requires 34 votes in the 234-member Assembly to be elected to the Rajya Sabha. Of the 29 members, five legislators have defied the leadership and are functioning as AIADMK loyalists in the Assembly. Further, six members have been suspended by Assembly Speaker P. Dhanapal for six months and it is not clear if they can vote in the Rajya Sabha polls.

The DMK has 23 members in the Assembly. The terms of Kanimozhi and Tiruchi N Siva are coming to an end. The DMK can nominate its candidate only if the DMDK comes forward to support it. In return, Mr. Vijayakant can expect the DMK’s support to send his nominee to the Rajya Sabha next year, when six more seats will fall vacant. Besides the two DMK members, the tenure of two AIADMK MPs and one each of the Congress and the CPI each will come to an end next month.

With 150 members in the current Assembly, the ruling AIADMK can win four seats hands down and will still have votes to spare. It is the votes of these MLAs that the CPI is counting on. Former CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan is expected to arrive in Chennai to seek the support of AIADMK leader and Chief Minister Jayalalithaa. The party has eight MLAs in Tamil Nadu and is likely to re-nominate D. Raja, its national secretary, for a Rajya Sabha seat. Though CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat had committed his party’s support to the CPI, the strain in the relationship between the two parties is a cause of concern. The CPI (M) has 10 MLAs. 

TAMIL NADU LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY

MEMBERS OF COUNCIL OF STATES (RAJYA SABHA) REPRESENTING TAMIL NADU

Elected Members: 18   

Term of Office: One third of the Members retire on the expiration of every 2 years

Sl.No.	Name of the Member	Party Affiliation	Date of Expiry
1	Tmt. Kanimozhi	D.M.K.	24. 07. 2013
2	Thiru Tiruchi N. Siva	D.M.K.
3	Thiru A.Elavarasan	A.I.A.D.M.K.
4	Dr. V.Maitreyan	A.I.A.D.M.K.
5	Thiru B.S. Gnanadesikan	I.N.C.
6	Thiru D. Raja	C.P.I.
7	Thiru. S. Amir Ali Jinnah,	D.M.K.	02. 04. 2014
8	Tmt. Vasanthi Stanley	D.M.K.
9	Thiru G.K. Vasan	I.N.C.
10	Tmt. Jayanthi Natarajan	I.N.C.
11	Thiru. T.K. Rangarajan	C.P.I.(M)
12	Thiru. N. Balaganga	A.I.A.D.M.K.
13	Dr.K.P. Ramalingam	D.M.K.	29.06.2016
14	Thiru S. Thangavelu	D.M.K.
15	Thiru T.M. Selvaganapathi	D.M.K.
16	Thiru Paul Manoj Pandian	A.I.A.D.M.K.
17	Thiru. E.M.Sudarsana  Natchiappan	I.N.C.
18	Thiru. A. William Rabi Bernard	A.I.A.D.M.K.

NOMINATED MEMBERS

Sl.No.	Name of the Member	Date of Expiry
1.	Thiru M.S. Swaminathan	09.04.2013
2	Thiru Mani Shankar Aiyar	21.03.2016

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Rajya Sabha elections in TN:political realignments?

 In a situation where only the ruling AIADMK has the numbers to send its nominees to the Rajya Sabha, CPI leader A.B. Bardhan is seeking an appointment with Chief Minister Jayalalithaa to try and get her support for his party candidate. The meeting is likely to take place on May 20 and this could be a beginning of a political realignment in Tamil Nadu.

 V. Maitreyan and A. Elavarasan (AIADMK), Kanimozhi and Tiruchi N. Siva (DMK),  B.S. Gnanadesikan (Congress) and D. Raja of the CPI are now retiring after a six-year term, and the seats are up for grabs.  Mr. Raja and Dr. Maitreyan emerged as the face of their parties in Delhi.

 A candidate needs 34 votes to find his or her way to the Upper House. In such a situation,  the ruling AIADMK, with a strength of 151 members [including the Speaker] in the Assembly, can send as many as four to the Upper House, but no other party in the State has the numbers required to get their candidates elected on their own. Inevitably, intense jockeying has begun for the remaining two seats at stake. Mr. Bardhan is expected to solicit her party’s surplus votes for D. Raja who could seek re-election.

 The Left parties together have 18 seats — CPI (M) 10 and the CPI 8 — in the Tamil Nadu Assembly. Sources in the Left said that CPI (M) general secretary Prakash Karat had committed his party’s support to the CPI candidate and the CPI candidate’s fate was in the hands of Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.

 “Since Ms. Jayalalithaa is talking about creating a non-Congress and non-BJP front, we could work together. When he meets her, Mr. Bardhan is likely to ask for her support in the RS polls,” said a senior CPI leader. If the deal works out, the AIADMK-CPI combine will win five seats. But it is not clear whether Dr. Maitreyan, who has completed two terms, would get yet another chance. A point in his favour could be that his first term in the Rajya Saba lasted only two and a half years.

 While the two DMK MPs are retiring, it can, at best, hope to get only one re-elected, but only with the support of some other party. The party has 23 members in the Assembly and is sending feelers to various camps including the main opposition in the Assembly Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) which has 29 members. But five DMDK members are functioning as a pro-AIADMK bloc in the Assembly. The two parties could come to an agreement whereby the DMDK will support the DMK candidate now and, in turn, the DMK will accommodate the other in its front in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

 If any such agreement materialises, DMK patriarch M. Karunanidhi’s daughter Ms. Kanimozhi could be fielded again, it is said. If Jayalalithaa agrees to support the CPI which is backed by the CPI (M), the Left would remain with her despite the recent disenchantment of the CPI (M) with the AIADMK. And if the DMK and the DMDK strike a deal, that could be a precursor to the next year’s Lok Sabha polls.

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