The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Kanimozhi, Siva, D. Raja file nominations

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Saturday, Jun 02, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Kanimozhi, Siva, D. Raja file nominations

R.K. Radhakrishnan

A total of six candidates from State for Rajya Sabha polls

FILING THE PAPERS: CPI candidate D.Raja (second from right) submitting his nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha by-poll to Chief Electoral Officer Naresh Gupta at the Secretariat in Chennai on Friday. Former CPI State secretary, R. Nallakannu is in the picture. — Photo: R. Ragu

CHENNAI: Kanimozhi and Tiruchi Siva, the two Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) contestants for the Rajya Sabha, and Communist Party of India (CPI) candidate D. Raja filed their nominations here on Friday.

All the three filed two sets of nominations each. Both the DMK candidates were proposed by senior party leaders, including Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, party general secretary K. Anbazhagan, treasurer Arcot N. Veerasamy, principal secretary Durai Murugan and deputy general secretary M.K. Stalin. Mr. Raja's name was proposed by all six CPI MLAs, three DMK Ministers and Deputy Speaker V.P. Duraisamy. In Mr. Raja's second nomination, all the proposers were DMK MLAs. With this, a total of six candidates have filed their nominations. Barring one candidate, all the others have the required 10 MLAs to propose their name. They have also paid the security deposit. The Congress is yet to announce its candidate. Nominations close on Tuesday.

Mr. Raja (57) is contesting from Tamil Nadu for the first time. He completed his undergraduate degree in Science in 1972 and his B.Ed in 1973 from the Department of Education, University of Madras. On his candidature, he told The Hindu that the nomination would offer one more avenue for his party to speak for the people. Asked if he intended to press for a course correction to anti-poor policies inside the House, Mr. Raja said he would definitely do so. "I will also work for the development of Tamil Nadu. I am being elected from here," he said, when asked if he would highlight the State's problems in the Rajya Sabha.

Tiruchi N. Siva (53) will enter the Rajya Sabha from Tamil Nadu for a second time. Mr. Siva, who did his Masters from Periyar EVR College, Tiruchi, in 1978, completed his B.L. degree from the Tiruchi Law College in 1999. He was jailed during the emergency, along with many DMK supporters, for his struggle against authoritarianism. A powerful orator, writer and poet, with a following in the DMK party and outside, he effectively contributed to the debates in both the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha (he was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1996 from Pudukottai but lost the elections in 1998 from the same constituency.)

DMK Candidate N.Siva (second from right), submitting his nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha by-poll to Chief Electoral Officer Naresh Gupta at the Secretariat in Chennai on Friday. Kanimozhi, another candidate of the party, is in the picture. 1; Photo: R.Ragu

Kanimozhi (39), poet and daughter of Mr. Karunanidhi, obtained her Masters Degree in 1994 from Ethiraj College for Women. She was the driving force behind the recent folk show in the city, Chennai Sangamam. She is passionate about issues relating to livelihood of artists and people living in the margins of society, reservation for women in elected bodies and Tamil language and literature.

Assets

Mr. Raja does not have any other assets apart from cash Rs.3,000, a joint account with his wife Annie Raja (Rs.37,239.39) at Andhra Bank AP Bhavan branch. His daughter Aparajitha has a fixed deposit of Rs.21,705 in the same branch.

Mr. Siva, his wife and daughter have a total of Rs.1.08 lakh in bank accounts. His wife has a Tata Sumo vehicle under hire purchase worth Rs.6.05 lakh, 560 grams of gold valued at Rs.3.92 lakh and 1.2 kg silver, valued at Rs.21,250. His family also owns land to the extent of about 12 acres and a house in Tiruchi in the name of the children worth Rs.37 lakh. Kanimozhi has a fixed deposit with the Indian Bank for Rs.6.4 crore, two savings bank accounts totalling about Rs.18.48 lakh. Her Toyota Camry is worth Rs.18.7 lakh. She has 360 grams of gold and 10 carats of diamonds worth Rs.3.61 lakh and shares in West Gate Logistics worth Rs.3.5 lakh. Apart from this, she owns a commercial building on Anna Salai valued at Rs.1.61 crore. Her husband Aravinthan has a one-acre house at Athikottai worth Rs.10 lakh.

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