Four prominent Congress leaders from Tamil Nadu are the front runners for the lone Rajya Sabha seat which the DMK had allocated to the party. Six seats are at stake from the State in the poll scheduled for June 10. Going by the current party position in the Legislative Assembly, the ruling DMK will have a cake walk in winning four seats while the Opposition AIADMK would win two.
The DMK has allotted one seat from its kitty to the Congress. According to a senior TNCC leader, P Chidambaram, former finance and home minister, K S Azhagiri (TN chief of the party), Viswanathan (former MP who had represented Kancheepuram Parliamentary Constituency) and C D Meyyappan, AICC leader and former president of the Tamil Nadu unit of the Youth Congress are the front runners for the lone seat.
Chidambaram, the party ideologist and main think tank is the senior leader from the State. “But his statement that a veshti wearing Congress leader would become the PM has not been taken seriously by the party high command”, said a party veteran.
. Moreover, the recent Chinthan Shibir held at Udaipur has adopted a resolution saying that not more than one person from a family should be allowed to hold important positions like MLA, MP etc. Karti, son of Chidambaram is a member of the Lok Sabha representing Shivaganga parliamentary constituency. If the High Command sticks to its one member from one family norm, chances of Chidambaram making it to Rajya Sabha are unlikely to happen,” said a party veteran.
This brightens the chances of the other three. But various leaders in the Congress are of the view of that Chidabaram had ditched the party during critical periods in the past.
Azhagiri and Venkitswai were camp followers of Chidambaram though they had fallen out with him of late. “Meyyappam is the lone candidate who has been with the party first as a cadre and then as a leader. He is hard working and his nomination would enthuse party cadres across Tamil Nadu,” said the TNCC leader.