DMK announces 3 nominees for biennial election to Rajya Sabha

DMK president M K Stalin on Sunday announced the names of sitting MP ‘Tiruchy’ N Siva, senior advocate N R Elango and former minister Anthiyur Selvaraj. Victory of the three DMK nominees was a mere formality given DMK’s strength of 98 MLAs plus seven in the Congress kitty and the lone IUML MLA in the State Assembly.

With the three nominations, DMK’s strength in the Upper House would increase to eight from five MPs. While the nomination of senior Madras High Court Advocate N R Elango was expected, former minister ‘Anthiyur’ Selvaraj and Tiruchy Siva were a surprise inclusion in the DMK candidates list. Elango’s name was doing the rounds even during the previous biennial election. However, the HC advocate close to Stalin was made to wait owing to the alliance commitmentthe party had given to MDMK generalsecretary Vaiko then.

Sitting MP Tiruchy N Siva had faced resistance from within party for his nomination to the Rajya Sabha for the third term in succession. A member of Arunthathiyar community, Selvaraj had served as Khadi and handloom minister during the 1996-2001 regime of the DMK. He shot to fame in the then DMK regime two decades ago after he had participated in the “walking the fire” ritual in a local amman temple festival even while being in the state Cabinet. His participation in the ritual had sparked an outrage with even the late Chief Minister M Karunanidhicalling it barbarous.