Vijay allots lone vacant Rajya Sabha seat to Congress
What's the story
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay has allocated the only vacant Rajya Sabha seat from the state to his alliance partner, the Congress. The decision was made shortly after Tamil Nadu in-charge Girish Chodankar met with Vijay. After the meeting, he said, "We requested the Chief Minister that this Rajya Sabha seat be allocated to the Congress party." Speculations are rife that Praveen Chakravarty, a key architect of the Congress-TVK alliance, could be nominated for the Upper House berth.
Vacancy details
Congress leaders welcome the decision
The Rajya Sabha seat fell vacant after the resignation of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) leader CV Shanmugam, who was elected to the Tamil Nadu Assembly. Congress leaders have welcomed this decision, calling it a politically significant move. With this new seat, Congress will have two ministers and two Rajya Sabha MPs in the state, a significant gain for a party that has suffered electorally in Tamil Nadu in years.
Political implications
Rajya Sabha seat politically significant for Congress
The Congress's parliamentary strength has been impacted after its split from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and alliance with Vijay's party. Political analysts said the decision could be an attempt to strengthen the alliance against Congress's former partner, DMK. "While the Congress wants to further expand its political landscape in Tamil Nadu, TVK would reward the Congress for the support. Vijay wants to ensure that he conveys offering support to the Congress," said political analyst Ramu Manivannan.
Criticism voiced
DMK accuses TVK of outsourcing confrontation with BJP
However, the decision has been criticized by the DMK. Spokesperson A Saravanan accused TVK of outsourcing its confrontation with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to the Congress. "The aim is....TVK wants to avoid a direct confrontation with the BJP in Parliament, so it has outsourced it to the Congress," Saravanan told NDTV. TVK leaders have rejected these allegations, with a senior party functionary saying, "There is no outsourcing. We are strengthening our alliance...What will we do with just one MP?