By IANS,
Chennai : Dalit outfit Puthiya Tamizhagam, which has two members in the Tamil Nadu assembly, Thursday announced it will support DMK’s Kanimozhi in the June 27 Rajya Sabha elections.
“We do not want our votes to go waste and hence have decided to support the DMK in the Rajya Sabha elections,” party chief K. Krishnasamy told reporters here. He had also met DMK president and Kanimozhi’s father M. Karunanidhi and promised his party’s support in the polls.
The party’s offer of support to DMK comes a day after Manithaneya Makkal Katchi (MMK), with two legislators, extended its support to Kanimozhi for the same reason. Both parties had contested the 2011 assembly elections in alliance with the AIADMK.
With the support of two parties, the votes in favour of Kanimozhi have gone up to 27. A candidate needs 34 votes to get elected. The DMK has also sought the support of Congress and PMK having five and three members in the assembly.
A total of six Rajya Sabha members, including Kanimozhi, from Tamil Nadu would retire next month. As per the current position in the assembly, all four candidates of the ruling AIADMK and the sole Communist Party of India candidate are expected to romp home safely. The contest will be for the sixth seat between Kanimozhi and DMDK’s A.R. Elangovan.