Rajya Sabha polls: AIADMK candidates file nomination papers

R Vaithilingam, A Naveneethakrishnan, A Vijayakumar and SR Balasubramanian filed their nomination papers with Assembly Secretary AMP Jamaludeen, who is the Returning Officer for the biennial elections.

Senior cabinet Ministers and AIADMK MLAs were present on the occasion. The tenure of six Rajya Sabha members from Tamil Nadu will end on June 29.

The AIADMK and DMK have nominated four and two members respectively and all of them are likely to be elected by virtue of the strength of the respective parties in the state Assembly.

AIADMK's Navaneethakrishnan, AW Rabi Bernard and PH Paul Manoj Pandian and DMK's KP Ramalingam and S Thangavelu and former Union Minister and Congress leader Sudarsana Natchiappan are those who will be retiring in June.

Out of the six members, Navaneethakrishnan was elected in 2014 and others in 2010. He filled the vacancy caused by the disqualification of DMK's TM Selvaganapathi.