Chennai, June 3:
The biennial election to the lone Rajya Sabha seat from Tamil Nadu, which fell vacant following the resignation of AIADMK member C Ve Shanmugam, will be held on June 18, Returning Officer P Thenmozhi announced on Tuesday.
The vacancy arose after Shanmugam, a former State minister, resigned from the Rajya Sabha on May 7. He had earlier secured victory from the Mailam Assembly constituency in the April 23 Assembly elections, necessitating his exit from the Upper House.
According to an official release from the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Secretariat, the election is being conducted to fill a casual vacancy in the Council of States by elected members of the State Assembly.
The nomination process has commenced, with papers to be submitted to Returning Officer P Thenmozhi or Assistant Returning Officer Pearline Roopkumar between 11 am and 3 pm on all working days. The last date for filing nominations is June 8, excluding Sunday, June 7.
Scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on June 9 at 11 am. Candidates will have the option to withdraw their nominations until 3 pm on June 11.
In the event of a contest, polling will be held at the Assembly Secretariat on June 18 between 9 am and 4 pm. The by-election is expected to draw political attention as parties strategise to secure representation in the Tamil Nadu election.