Antony, Veerendra Kumar and Somaprasad file Rajya Sabha nominations

Congress leader A.K. Antony, M.P. Veerendra Kumar of the JD(U) and K. Somaprasad of the CPI(M) on Thursday filed their Rajya Sabha nominations as three seats from Kerala will fall vacant this month.

Election for the three seats is scheduled for March 21, but will not be needed if there are no more nominations.

While Antony and Veerendra Kumar are the nominees of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), the ruling coalition in Kerala, Somaprasad has been named by the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF).

Going by their strength in the Kerala assembly, the UDF will be able to win two seats and the LDF one.

Secretary of the Kerala legislature P.D. Sarangadharan, before whom the nominations were filed, said that after the 14th of this month, it will become clear if there was need be an election process.

Antony, 75, has served two consecutive terms since 2005 in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of parliament. He was also Rajya Sabha member from 1993 to 1995. He is now seeking another term.

Kumar, 79, is the leader of the Janata Dal (United) in Kerala and also a media baron, heading the Mathrubhumi group.

Somaprasad is a local level CPI-M leader hailing from Kollam and heads the party's scheduled caste (SC) cell. He contested the assembly polls in 2001 but lost and has always been active in party work.