TVK allots lone Rajya Sabha seat from Tamil Nadu to Congress for bypoll

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, connected Wednesday (June 3, 2026), announced that the enactment has allocated to its state the Congress, the lone Rajya Sabha spot from Tamil Nadu, for which bypolls are scheduled to beryllium held connected June 18.

The TVK’s determination to forgo an accidental to nonstop its archetypal nominee to the Rajya Sabha and alternatively allot it to its post-poll ally, the Congress, which has lone 5 MLAs successful the State Legislative Assembly, amazed galore successful the ruling party.

C.Ve. Shanmugam’s resignation

Mr. Vijay’s announcement came soon aft a Congress delegation led by All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge for Tamil Nadu Girish Chodankar met him astatine the Secretariat successful Chennai and requested him to allocate the Rajya Sabha seat, which fell vacant pursuing the resignation of AIADMK person C. Ve. Shanmugam, to the Congress.

Mr. Shanmugam, who was elected to the Upper House of Parliament successful June 2022, resigned from the Rajya Sabha connected May 7, 2026 aft being elected to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from the Mailam constituency successful Villupuram territory successful the caller Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. The tenure of this Rajya Sabha spot ends successful June 2028.

Just up of the Assembly polls, the Congress had secured a Rajya Sabha seat erstwhile it was portion of the DMK-led alliance. Its nominee, Christopher Tilak, was elected to the Upper House.

With this, the Congress’ practice from Tamil Nadu successful the Rajya Sabha is apt to summation to three, the highest successful caller decades. Veteran Congress person and erstwhile Union Minister P. Chidambaram was elected from Tamil Nadu successful 2022.

Girish Chodankar’s request

Earlier, portion speaking to journalists aft gathering the Chief Minister, Mr. Chodankar said helium had requested that the Rajya Sabha spot beryllium allotted to the Congress arsenic the enactment wanted to fortify its beingness successful the Upper House. “We person impressed upon the Chief Minister that we request to fortify our Rajya Sabha representation,” helium said.

To a question connected whether determination was immoderate treatment connected inviting the TVK to articulation the INDI Alliance and be its gathering connected June 8, Mr. Chodankar said nary specified treatment was held with the Chief Minister.

Responding to a question connected whether the DMK would proceed to stay a portion of the INDI Alliance, Mr. Chodankar said the DMK was precise overmuch portion of the confederation and added helium did not privation to remark further. He besides said Mr. Vijay was incapable to conscionable the Congress leaders successful New Delhi during his caller sojourn to the nationalist capital “due to a mismatch successful schedules.”