CHENNAI: The biennial election to fill one Rajya Sabha seat from Tamil Nadu will be held on June 18 following the resignation of CVe Shanmugam, who was elected to the Assembly from the Mailam constituency.
The filing of nominations will commence on June 1 and conclude on June 8, while scrutiny will be held on June 9. Candidates can withdraw their nominations till June 11. An election will be conducted on June 18 if more than one valid nomination is filed for the lone vacancy.
With the present Assembly strength at 233, a candidate requires the support of 117 MLAs to secure victory. As no party enjoys a majority on its own, the ruling TVK, backed by its allies, is expected to win the seat.
Since this will be the first Rajya Sabha seat to be contested by the TVK, it remains to be seen whether the party will retain the seat for itself or allot it to an alliance partner, particularly the Congress.
