The AIADMK has nominated former Union Minister M. Thambidurai as its candidate for the March 16 Rajya Sabha elections. The ruling DMK nominated Tiruchi Siva and J. Constantine Ravindran, allotting one seat each to its allies Congress and DMDK.
Munisamy Thambidurai has been nominated as the official candidate of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) for the elections to the post of members of the Rajya Sabha to be held on March 16. In a statement, Edappadi K. Palaniswami, AIADMK General Secretary, said, "As decided by the Governing Council of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), after due consideration, for the Rajya Sabha election scheduled to be held on 16.03.2026, *Dr. M. Thambidurai M.A., PhD, M.P., Policy Propagation Secretary of the party and former Union Minister, has been selected and will be fielded as the official Rajyasabha candidate of the AIADMK."
DMK Announces Candidates, Allies
Meanwhile, DMK announced its candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections scheduled on March 16, while also finalising seat allocations for its allies in the state. Out of the four Rajya Sabha seats allocated to the DMK, one seat has been allotted to the Congress and another to the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK). The DMK, in a statement, has officially nominated Tiruchi Siva and Professor J. Constantine Ravindran as its candidates for the remaining two seats. Both leaders will contest as the official representatives of the DMK.
DMK-Congress Seat-Sharing Deal
The announcement comes moments after the DMK and Congress shook hands for a seat-sharing deal for the upcoming State Assembly Polls. Following the second round of seat-sharing talks on Wednesday, the DMK and the Congress Party agreed that Congress will contest 28 assembly constituencies and will be allocated one seat in the Rajya Sabha elections. In a statement, party leaders said that the decision came following the meeting between the DMK President and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and Congress Committee President K Selvaperunthagai.
ECI Announces Election Schedule
Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the schedule for the upcoming biennial elections to the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) to fill the 37 seats across 10 states, as the members are set to complete their term in April 2026, a press note stated. According to the press note, the term of 37 members who were elected from Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Telangana will conclude in the month of April, vacating the seats for new members to be elected.
The notification will be issued on February 26, commencing the election process. The last date of nominations is March 5, followed by scrutiny on March 6. The candidates can withdraw their nominations till March 9. The polling is scheduled to take place on March 16, with the counting of votes on the same day at 5 pm.
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