CHENNAI: Chief minister C Joseph Vijay handed on Wednesday the lone Rajya Sabha seat that fell vacant in Tamil Nadu to Congress, a move seen as further knitting together TVK and the national party after their post-election understanding. Congress sources said AICC functionary Praveen Chakravarthy is the frontrunner for nomination to the Upper House.Vijay’s announcement came shortly after AICC’s Tamil Nadu in-charge Girish Chodankar met him.Chodankar said Vijay’s move reflected “coalition dharma”, mutual respect and a shared commitment to democratic values. “Vijay has proved that he is a man of his word. By honouring his commitment and standing firmly by his promise, he has demonstrated principled leadership, political integrity and respect for alliance partners.This decision reinforces faith in coalition politics based on trust and mutual respect,” Chodankar said.Former Union minister P Chidambaram had also called on Vijay at the secretariat a day earlier, adding to speculation over the seat-sharing arrangement.The vacancy arose after former AIADMK MP C Ve Shanmugam resigned from RS following his victory in April assembly elections. June 8 is the deadline for filing nominations. Scrutiny is scheduled for June 9, withdrawals can be made until June 11, and polling, if required, will be held on June 18.Congress insiders said allocation of the RS berth was part of a post-election pact struck after the party’s five MLAs threw their weight behind the TVK govt following assembly poll results. According to party functionaries, Congress had zeroed in on Chakravarthy for the seat whenever an election arose. Chakravarthy, regarded as close to Lok Sabha opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, is also understood to share a warm equation with Vijay, party functionaries said. State Congress chief K Selvaperunthagai said a formal announcement on the party’s candidate would come from AICC.
