A meeting of senior office-bearers of the AIADMK on Thursday saw participants making suggestions for providing representation to southern districts and well-educated persons, preferably with legal background, in the selection of nominees for two Rajya Sabha seats.
The meeting, which lasted nearly an hour, was called to finalise the party’s candidates for the biennial elections, slated for next month. “This is a novel exercise as far as our party is concerned,” senior members of the party said, adding that when M.G. Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa were at the helm of the affairs of the party, there was no such consultative process and, invariably, they (leaders) decided the nominees on their own.
Party coordinator O. Panneerselvam, co-coordinator Edappadi K. Palaniswami and deputy coordinators R. Vaithilingam and K.P. Munusamy were present at the meeting.
Kanniyakumari MLA N. Thalavai Sundaram wanted the party leadership to give one ticket to any candidate from the south, while former Minister B. Valarmathi pointed out that the DMK, in its recent selection of candidates for the Rajya Sabha, had given one seat to a person with legal background, and the same yardstick could be used.
A few others, such as Dindigul C. Sreenivasan and J.C.D. Prabhakar, urged the leadership to take a call on the selection of candidates.
