This Article is From Jun 13, 2013

DMK working to get Kanimozhi re-elected to Rajya Sabha

DMK working to get Kanimozhi re-elected to Rajya Sabha
Chennai: DMK Chief Karunanidhi has said his party will seek the support of other parties in Tamil Nadu for his party's candidate for the Rajya Sabha elections scheduled for July 22.

There are reports that Mr Karunanidhi wants to re-nominate his daughter, Kanimozhi, whose term ends next month.

Tamil Nadu has 18 Rajya Sabha seats. Six of them are up for grabs in July because the term of the current members is retiring.

The DMK by itself does not have enough state legislators to win a single seat.

Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and her party, the AIADMK, are putting up five candidates, effectively contesting all the vacancies.

Political analysts say Mr Karunanidhi is hoping to ally with the Congress for the elections. In March, his party quit the union government accusing it of not taking a firm enough stand at the UN against Sri Lanka over the alleged war crimes by its armed forces.

The DMK is also trying to win the support of the PKM and DMDK, headed by actor Vijayakanth.

On behalf of Mr Karunanidhi, a senior leader from his party T R Baalu met Left leaders in Delhi to seek their support for Kanimozhi.  Sources say a deal was not struck, because the Left hopes to retain a seat that's being vacated by D Raja of the CPI.

Ms Kanimozhi spent 193 days in jail on charges that she helped her party colleague and former union minister A Raja accept a bribe from a telecom firm.
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