Key leaders including AIADMK's M Thambidurai and PMK's Anbumani Ramadoss filed nominations for Rajya Sabha polls in Tamil Nadu. In West Bengal, BJP's Rahul Sinha and Trinamool Congress's Babul Supriyo are among the main candidates.
Nominations in Tamil Nadu
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) Rajya Sabha candidate M Thambidurai filed his nomination at Tamil Nadu Secretariat in the presence of party General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami. Thambidurai has served as the Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha. PMK President and party's Rajya Sabha candidate Anbumani Ramadoss also filed his nomination at the Secretariat. The ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has nominated Tiruchi Siva and Professor J Constantine Ravindran as its candidates for the two Rajya Sabha seats, while Christopher Tilak is Congress' candidate. DMK has allotted one seat to the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) in the seat-sharing pact.
West Bengal Nominations
BJP Candidate Files Nomination
Meanwhile, in West Bengal, BJP's Rajya Sabha candidate Rahul Sinha arrived at the West Bengal Assembly to file his nomination.
On Wednesday, Sinha said, "The BJP has proven that a worker is great. It sent a message to those who are waiting for an opportunity that the party takes care of every worker. This has instilled a new passion in everyone. All of us have to protect and purify Bengal together."
Trinamool Congress Announces Candidates
Trinamool Congress has announced Babul Supriyo, Rajeev Kumar, Menaka Guruswamy, and Koel Mallick as its candidates for the biennial Rajya Sabha polls.
Babul Supriyo, a former Union Minister who later joined the Trinamool Congress, currently serves as Cabinet Minister of Information Technology and Electronics of the Government of West Bengal.
Rajeev Kumar is a former Director General of Police of West Bengal. Senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy is known for her legal work in constitutional matters, while Koel Mallick is a prominent figure in the Bengali film industry.
Election Schedule
The polling for the upcoming biennial elections to the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) to fill the 37 seats across 10 states is scheduled to take place on March 16, with the counting of votes on the same day at 5 pm.
According to the press note, the term of 37 members who were elected from Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Telangana will conclude in the month of April, vacating the seats for new members to be elected.
The last date of nominations is March 5, followed by scrutiny on March 6. The candidates can withdraw their nominations till March 9.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
