Thiruvananthapuram, Sunday 14 March 2010: The Congress Election Committee completed the formalities of nominating Union Defence Minister A.K. Antony as the Congress candidate for the Rajya Sabha elections. Antony will file his nomination papers tomorrow.

The Congress Election Committee unanimously recommended Antony’s candidature for the AICC to make the formal announcement. The Election Committee meeting was presided over by Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Ramesh Chennithala.

Congress Working Committee member K. Karunakaran and the Leader of the Opposition, Oommen Chandy were among those who attended the meeting, a statement of the KPCC said.

Antony will arrive in the capital today night, say party sources. Even though the United Democratic Front partners had put up their claims for the lone seat that the Opposition coalition can win, it was almost certain from the beginning that Antony would be re-nominated for the seat. This would be the second Rajya Sabha term for Antony, who was earlier elected in 2005.

Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan’s Political Secretary K N Balagopal and CPM women’s wing leader T N Seema will be the party’s nominees for the Rajya Sabha elections later this month.

The names were finalised today at a meeting of the state secretariat of CPM, a party release said. Going by the ruling party’s strength in the state Assembly, CPM-led LDF can win two of the three Rajya Sabha seats falling vacant.