Congress was all set to renominate Union Minister GK Vasan to the Rajya Sabha from Tamil Nadu with the backing of DMDK, but reluctance of DMK to withdraw its candidate from the fray forced it to drop the plans, sources said.
"DMDK assured it would support us in the event of Vasan or his nominee being fielded by the party for election to Rajya Sabha," said a Congress leader who was privy to the talks.
Refusing to confirm whether Congress had held talks with DMK to push Vasan's case, the source said that the nomination could have been withheld as any understanding between the two parties had proven difficult to arrive at.
"We supported the DMK candidate during the recent elections to Rajya Sabha. In a similar manner, DMK should have reciprocated this time," added a senior Congress leader.
AIADMK, CPI(M) and DMK have announced candidates for six Rajya Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu.
While AIADMK and CPI(M) are poised to win five of the seats, DMK is reportedly working on the numbers for the sixth.
The thinking within the Congress leadership was that with the backing of both DMK and DMDK, Vasan could have been voted to Rajya Sabha.
