TVK allots Rajya Sabha seat to Congress for Tamil Nadu bypoll on June 18

The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) on Wednesday (June 3) allotted a Rajya Sabha seat from Tamil Nadu to its alliance partner, Congress, for the bypoll scheduled on June 18.  Notably, Congress is a key constituent of the TVK-led alliance in the state.

In a statement, party chief and Tamil Nadu CM Vijay, said, "In the Rajya Sabha election scheduled to be held in Tamil Nadu on June 18, the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam-led alliance has decided to allocate the Rajya Sabha seat to its alliance partner, the Indian National Congress. Accordingly, the Rajya Sabha seat to be filled through the election in Tamil Nadu has been allotted to the Indian National Congress, which is a constituent of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam-led alliance."

The bypoll to the lone Rajya Sabha seat from Tamil Nadu, which fell vacant after the resignation of CV Shanmugam, will be held on June 18, Returning Officer P Thenmozhi announced on Tuesday.

Shanmugam,



a former state minister who was elected from the Mailam Assembly constituency in the Assembly election held on April 23, resigned from the Rajya Sabha on May 7, necessitating a by-election to fill the vacancy.

According to a release issued by the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Secretariat, the election will be conducted to fill the casual vacancy in the Council of States through voting by elected members of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.

Nomination papers can be filed before Returning Officer P. Thenmozhi or Assistant Returning Officer Pearline Roopkumar between 11 am and 3 pm on all working days, excluding Sunday and June 7, with June 8 being the last date for filing nominations.

The scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on June 9 at 11 am. If more than one candidate remains in the fray after the withdrawal deadline of 3 pm on June 11, polling will be conducted at the Secretariat on June 18 from 9 am to 4 pm.