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In a significant political development, the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) on Wednesday announced that it will allot its quota for the upcoming Rajya Sabha seat from Tamil Nadu to its alliance partner, the Indian National Congress.
The Rajya Sabha election for the seat is scheduled to be held on June 18, with counting of votes and declaration of results set to take place on the same day. The allocation effectively confirms that Congress, a key constituent of the alliance led by TVK in Tamil Nadu, will field its candidate for the Upper House seat. With this decision, the TVK leadership has signalled its continued commitment to maintaining coalition stability and strengthening its alliance arrangements. "In the Rajya Sabha election to be held from Tamil Nadu on the 18th of this month, a Rajya Sabha seat has been allocated to the Indian National Congress party, which is a member of the alliance led by Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam in Tamil Nadu," the official letter from TVK said. For Congress, the allocation of the seat is considered a crucial opportunity to enhance its representation in the Rajya Sabha, particularly at a time when parliamentary numbers remain politically significant. This comes after the Election Commission on Monday issued a notification for biennial elections to 24 Rajya Sabha seats from ten states. According to the notification, the elections include four seats each in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat, three seats each in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, two seats in Jharkhand, and one seat each in Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur and Meghalaya. The last date for filing nominations is June 8. The Commission has also issued a notification for the Rajya Sabha bypolls to one seat each in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Odisha. TVK had earlier made a strong political debut by emerging as the single-largest party in the Tamil Nadu elections, as the state witnessed a shift beyond the traditional DMK-AIADMK binary. However, it fell short of a majority on its own, following which the Congress extended its support along with its five seats. Several smaller parties, including VCK, CPI(M), IUML and CPI, also backed the formation, enabling TVK to form the government and secure 144 votes in the Legislative Assembly during the floor test. The latest Rajya Sabha seat allocation is seen as part of the broader alliance management strategy between TVK and its partners ahead of upcoming parliamentary adjustments. (ANI)
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