On June 3, TVK issued a statement claiming that the party has decided to allot its Rajya Sabha seat to its alliance partner ahead of the scheduled by-election on June 18.
Tamilaga Vetri Kalagam (TVK), Tamil Nadu's ruling party, in alliance with Congress and supported by third parties. The ruling alliance led by C. Joseph Vijay (TVK) has decided to allot the lone vacant Tamil Nadu Rajya Sabha seat to its ally, the Indian National Congress, ahead of the Rajya Sabha by-election scheduled for June 18 2026.
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Gain of the Rajya Sabha seat for Congress
The seat became vacant after former AIADMK leader C. Ve. Shanmugam resigned from the Rajya Sabha following his election to the Tamil Nadu Assembly. Initially, there was speculation that TVK would fill the vacancy by sending its first-ever Rajya Sabha MP to the Lok Sabha.
Congress formally requested the seat from TVK, arguing that, as an alliance partner in the ruling coalition, it should be represented in the Upper House. After a series of discussions between the allies, TVK agreed to allocate the seat to Congress, demonstrating continued cooperation within the ruling alliance.
Girish Chodankar, Election In-charge of Congress Tamil Nadu, reports that he met TN Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay earlier in the day and urged him to allocate the seat to Congress, which will help them in Parliament.
He said that Vijay considered the party's request and decided to allocate the seat. He also says that the candidates' names are finalised only by the Congress party's central election authority. He further added that they began requesting that the central election committee decide on the candidate from the moment the seats were allotted.
Congress is expected to announce its candidate in the coming days, as the biennial election is a couple of weeks away.