Chennai is buzzing with political anticipation as the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) gears up for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections from Tamil Nadu on March 16. Party insiders reveal that senior leader M. Thambidurai and Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) president Anbumani Ramadoss are frontrunners for the party’s nominations.
The Election Commission of India issued the notification on February 18, kicking off the nomination process from February 26, with the last date for filing being March 5. With its current strength in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly and support from alliance partners, the AIADMK-led front is well-positioned to secure two seats in the Upper House.
Sources within the party indicate that one of these seats has been allocated to PMK, a key ally in the opposition coalition. Anbumani Ramadoss, the former Union Health Minister, is expected to contest on this ticket. The second seat is likely to go to Thambidurai, a veteran parliamentarian who has served as Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha and currently holds a Lok Sabha seat.
This decision was finalized during a meeting of the AIADMK executive committee. Announcing the arrangement, AIADMK general secretary and Leader of Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami stated that PMK would contest one of the two seats in the election. Despite a dip in its assembly strength from 66 seats post-2021 elections to around 60 now—due to resignations and a legislator’s death—AIADMK anticipates robust backing from allies like PMK’s three MLAs and BJP’s four.
This combined support could muster approximately 66 votes, sufficient to ensure victory for both candidates. Political observers note that these numbers give the leadership confidence in sending both nominees to Rajya Sabha, strengthening the opposition’s presence in Parliament amid ongoing battles with the ruling DMK.