Communist party left to choose between Pandian and Raja

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Chennai: Ending days of suspense, Communist Party of India (CPI) on Thursday decided to contest the June 27 biennial election to Rajya Sabha with the support of CPI (M) and AIADMK.
The decision was taken at the party’s central executive committee (CEC) meeting held in New Delhi on Thursday. However, the party has not decided on the candidate yet. After AIADMK announced five candidates for six seats falling vacant in the Upper House, it seemed that the ruling party had virtually shut the doors on the CPI, which was expecting a renomination for the seat being vacated by its national secretary D. Raja.
According to a senior CPI leader, Ms Jayalalithaa had told their party general secretary Sudhakar Reddy and senior leader A. B. Bardhan in New Delhi on Monday to contest for the sixth seat. “The party’s CEC has decided to contest the biennial election to Rajya Sabha from Tamil Nadu. The decision on the candidate will be taken at the party’s state executive committee (SEC) meeting on Friday,” he told DC.
The selection of the candidate remains a bone of contention in the party amid rumours of bitter contest between incumbent D. Raja and state secretary D. Pandian. Despite Pandian making it clear in the SEC on June 14 that he was not keen on contesting the RS polls, it was learnt that “majority” of SEC members were in the favour of Pandian being made the party’s candidate, a CPI leader close to  Pandian said.
However, another senior SEC member said Raja was most likely to get the renomination. “Raja is in all likelihood to be declared  party candidate as Pandian ruled himself out of contesting the poll,” he said. The CPI and CPI (M) together have 18 votes. The victory of CPI candidate depends on DMK and DMDK not reaching an agreement for the RS polls.
Earlier, Pandian called on CPI (M) state secretary G. Ramakrishnan at the party headquarters in connection with the RS elections. Ramakrishnan on Wednesday denied speculation of his party holding talks with DMK and made it clear that it was in talks with CPI on the RS polls.