The second rung leaders and a cadre of the ruling DMK are upset over the announcement of the party’s Namakkal district in charge, K.R.N. Rajeshkumar as the candidate for the Rajya Sabha elections scheduled for October 4.

However, there is no opposition to the candidature of Dr. Kanimozhi Somu, daughter of former Union Minister N.V.N. Somu, who is also the Medical wing secretary of the party. There is a unanimous acceptance for her candidature.

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With the strength of the party in the state assembly, DMK can easily win both the seats to which elections are announced and the leaders and cadre feel that Rajeshkumar was a wrong choice.

A legislator of the party who doesn’t want to be named told IANS, “The candidature of Rajeshkumar is not seen as a good trend in the party as he was directly given in charge of Namakkal district after his tenure in the youth wing ended. He is a close associate of Udayanidhi Stalin. More than that Rajeshkumar has not yet proved himself as an organiser or a party leader and not even as an orator.”

The DMK’s lower-level leaders and grassroots cadre are of the opinion that the party could have provided the seat to a good orator who could forcefully communicate the party’s political stand in the Rajya Sabha.

They feel that Rajeshkumar is not a good orator and that he may not be able to raise important issues in the Rajya Sabha as the people of Tamil Nadu will expect from him.

Manonmani G., Professor of Political Science in a Private college at Madurai told IANS, “As far as Dravidian politics is concerned both the DMK and the AIADMK have contributed immensely but those who represented these parties in parliament were good speakers who were able to pass on the message of the people of Tamil Nadu in New Delhi in a dignified manner. I think in that context, the selection of Rajeshkumar is a poor decision on the part of the DMK. Your candidate should not be the familiar face at your home rather it should be a person deeply rooted in the culture and politics of the state.”

While there is opposition to the candidature of Rajeshkumar, any change in his candidature is highly unlikely.