DMK president M. Karunanidhi’s daughter Kanimozhi on Thursday won a second term in the Rajya Sabha after a contest in which the dissidents-ridden DMDK lost while four nominees of ruling AIADMK and its ally CPI won as expected.
AIADMK candidate V. Maithreyan, who is also the leader of the party in the Rajya Sabha, won a third term while CPI secretary D. Raja won a second term with help of AIADMK.
The main Opposition party in the state assembly, DMDK, had to bite the dust as its candidate A.R. Elangovan lost in the wake of seven of his own partymen voting for AIADMK candidates in open defiance.
The actor-turned-politician Vijayakant’s party which entered the poll fray hoping for support from other parties, could not drum up the backing from any outfit, leave alone from its own rebels.
DMDK has 29 members in the 234-member state assembly and Mr Elangovan polled 22 votes.
The political acumen of Mr Karunanidhi ensured his daughter, who is an accused in 2G spectrum scam case, a successive term in Rajya Sabha.