Who will be TVK’s first Rajya Sabha MP in history? TN Congress hopeful of CM Vijay being lenient
According to reports, the Congress are hopeful that the TVK chief will reward their support by letting them contest the Rajya Sabha seat
Tamil Nadu's ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) is poised to secure its first Rajya Sabha seat following the vacancy created by AIADMK leader C. Ve. Shanmugam's resignation, with nominations opening on Monday for the election scheduled for June 18; however, it remains uncertain whether the TVK, led by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay and being the single largest party in the Assembly with 108 seats, will claim the seat for itself or allocate it to an ally, with the Indian National Congress, a swift post-poll supporter, being a strong contender for such an allocation given its early commitment and five Assembly seats, while other parties like the VCK, CPI, CPI(M), and IUML are providing outside support to the TVK government formed with a coalition including the Congress and former DMK allies.
Tamil Nadu's ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) is poised to secure its first Rajya Sabha seat following the vacancy created by AIADMK leader C. Ve. Shanmugam's resignation, with nominations opening on Monday for the election scheduled for June 18; however, it remains uncertain whether the TVK, led by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay and being the single largest party in the Assembly with 108 seats, will claim the seat for itself or allocate it to an ally, with the Indian National Congress, a swift post-poll supporter, being a strong contender for such an allocation given its early commitment and five Assembly seats, while other parties like the VCK, CPI, CPI(M), and IUML are providing outside support to the TVK government formed with a coalition including the Congress and former DMK allies.
Tamil Nadu's ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) is poised to secure its first Rajya Sabha seat following the vacancy created by AIADMK leader C. Ve. Shanmugam's resignation, with nominations opening on Monday for the election scheduled for June 18; however, it remains uncertain whether the TVK, led by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay and being the single largest party in the Assembly with 108 seats, will claim the seat for itself or allocate it to an ally, with the Indian National Congress, a swift post-poll supporter, being a strong contender for such an allocation given its early commitment and five Assembly seats, while other parties like the VCK, CPI, CPI(M), and IUML are providing outside support to the TVK government formed with a coalition including the Congress and former DMK allies.
Tamil Nadu's ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) is expected to get its first Upper House berth when the nomination process to fill the vacant Rajya Sabha seat in the state begins on Monday. However, it is not clear whether the TVK will secure the seat for itself or allocate it to an alliance partner.
The Rajya Sabha seat fell vacant after AIADMK leader C. Ve. Shanmugam resigned from the Upper House on May 7, 2026, following his victory in the Mailam Assembly constituency.
Since the TVK, led by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, is the single largest party in the state Assembly, it is expected to win comfortably. If he decides to allot the seat to one of his post-poll allies instead, then the Indian National Congress, which was the first party to extend support to the TVK, holds the upper hand. The Congress was swift to cut its ties with the DMK and jump ship when Vijay's camp lacked the majority to form the government despite having the highest number of MLAs.
Meanwhile, news agency PTI, quoting Election Commission sources, reported that nominations can be filed from June 1 to June 8, and the scrutiny of nominations will be done on June 9. The last date for the withdrawal of nominations is June 11. The poll will be held from 9 am to 4 pm on June 18. The counting will begin at 5 pm on the same day.
The TVK, which won 108 seats in the Assembly—10 short of a majority—formed the government with support from the Congress and four former DMK allies. Whilst the Congress, with five seats, will be part of the government, parties such as the VCK, CPI, CPI(M), and IUML, each holding two seats, are extending outside support. According to reports, the two communist parties and the IUML decided to support Vijay after consultations with Stalin.