Stalin announces DMK candidates for Rajya Sabha by-elections

Chief Minister and DMK President M K Stalin, on Tuesday, announced two candidates Dr Kanimozhi NVN Somu and KNR Rajesh Kumar as the party candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha election to be held on October 4.

Kanimozhi, daughter of former central Minister NVN Somu, is a renowned obstetrician, gynecologist and laparoscopic surgeon in MGM hospital, Chennai. She had unsuccessfully contested from T Nagar constituency in 2016 but did not get the seat again in 2021.

Rajesh Kumar is the district in-charge for DMK in Namakkal (East) district and is a part of DMK Youth Wing. According to party sources his nearness to Chepauk-Triplicane MLA Udhayanidhi Stalin has fetched him the seat.

The vacancy of Rajya Sabha seats rose after AIADMK leader K P Munusamy and R Vaithilingam resigned their seats after getting elected as MLAs in the recently held state Assembly elections. With a majority of MLAs in hand DMK is set to sweep the election and with both the seats DMK will become the fourth largest party in Rajya Sabha with 10 MPs.

BJP is leading in numbers in Rajya Sabha with 94 followed by Congress with 34 and Trinamool Congress with 12 seats.