Another MIC old hat enters the election. This time, its also an “has-been” – Datuk V.K.K Teagarajan. He is going for Deputy President post (currently held by Palanivel). At a relatively younger age, 60, he aims for the second highest position, with hope that can take over once Samy retires/quits.

KUALA LUMPUR: Businessman Datuk V.K.K. Teagarajan, 60, a former MIC central working committee (CWC) member, has announced his intention to contest the MIC deputy presidency at the party elections slated for September next year.

The tussle for the party’s No. 2 position is expected to be intense as Samy Vellu had apparently told several leaders that he would vacate the presidency soon after the September 2009 MIC elections and let the deputy president take over as acting president.

Teagarajan, the former president of the Malaysian Associated Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry told Bernama that MIC had to be rejuvenated and strengthened after having lost the support of the Malaysian Indian community in the last general election, held on March 8.

“I am declaring this (bid to contest) after speaking to my supporters and party members in general. They feel that there should be new blood in the party, and I would like to offer myself for the position of deputy president,” he said.

Unlike in the case of the presidential contest, a party member needs only one nomination to qualify to contest the post of deputy president, the three posts of vice-president or any of the 23 CWC posts.

For the post of president, a candidate must obtain 50 nominations, with each nomination having a proposer and five seconders. The proposer and seconders must be branch chairmen.

While the president is elected by branch chairmen, who number some 3,200, the candidates to fill the other national posts are elected by about 1,400 delegates at the party general assembly.

Teagarajan, who joined the largest Indian-based political party in the country in 1987, stood for one of the three posts of vice-president at the last party elections, in 2006, but came in fourth.

In 2003, he filed nomination papers for a veep post but withdrew barely seven hours later after being dissuaded from contesting by party president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu.

Teagarajan, who is also a former senator and had served as party information chief in 2003, was elected to the CWC, the party’s highest decision-making body, in 1997, and served in that capacity until 2003.

Teagarajan is the second MIC leader to announce his intention to contest a top party post. Last week, former vice-president Datuk M. Muthupalaniappan declared his bid to contest the MIC top post in the presidential election scheduled for March next year.

“I know the elections are 10 months away but we have to start somewhere … and I feel this is the start,” said Teagarajan, who is also former Kuala Lumpur MIC chief.

Asked about the possibility of him pulling out of the contest for deputy president, he said he would only do so if he found another “worthy candidate”.

“But for now, I do not see anyone making the move for the deputy president’s post. If they come in, then by all means, they can contest. But for now, I am not going to back off,” he said.

At the 2006 party elections, current deputy president Datuk G. Palanivel beat then incumbent Datuk S. Subramaniam who had been deputy president for more than 20 years. – Bernama