The Left parties and the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam have decided to support the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in the Rajya Sabha elections next month.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) State secretary G. Ramakrishnan, MDMK general secretary Vaiko and Communist Party of India State assistant secretary C. Mahendran handed over letters of support to AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa at her Poes Garden residence on Tuesday.
Mr. Vaiko told newspersons that the AIADMK had sought the support of alliance partners in the Rajya Sabha election. “We have extended our support whole-heartedly,” he said, adding that the AIADMK would field two candidates.
Mr. Ramakrishnan said the AIADMK general secretary had sent a letter expressing a desire to field two candidates for the Rajya Sabha seats falling vacant in Tamil Nadu. As the Centre and State governments were following anti-people policies, the CPI(M) state executive committee had decided to support the AIADMK, he said.
According to Mr. Mahendran, the CPI decided to support the AIADMK after considering the Rajya Sabha election from the standpoint of the continuing political struggle to defeat the Congress-DMK combine in the future.
On why CPI State secretary D. Pandian, who was thought to be one of the contenders for the Rajya Sabha seat, was absent, Mr. Mahendran said that Mr. Pandian could not attend the meeting as he was out of station. Given the strength of the three parties in the Assembly, the AIADMK can win two of the six seats falling vacant. The AIADMK has 57 members, the CPI(M) nine, the CPI six and the MDMK three. A total of 34 votes are necessary to ensure a candidate is elected to the Rajya Sabha.
The executive committee of the AIADMK is meeting on Thursday.
