Tharahai Cuthbert Allotted Front-Row Opposition Seat in Assembly

Tamil Nadu Congress Legislature Party leader and Colachel MLA Tharahai Cuthbert was allotted a seat in the front row of the Opposition benches in the State Assembly in Chennai on Monday.

The seating adjustment came after Ms Cuthbert was selected as the floor leader of the Congress party in the House. Prior to the reallocation on Monday, she had been seated in the section allocated to TVK MLAs.

The seating change in the Assembly followed recent political friction between the Congress and the TVK. A day prior to the development, Tourism Minister S Rajesh Kumar stated that Congress ministers in the state Cabinet would resign if the TVK did not support Rahul Gandhi as the Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.

Mr Kumar made those remarks on Saturday while addressing a gathering during an event where George Robinson took charge as the president of the Kanyakumari West District Congress Committee. During his address, Mr Kumar asserted that Rahul Gandhi would become the Prime Minister of India in 2029.

The minister's statements came against the backdrop of remarks by TVK leaders projecting their party chief and Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay as a potential contender for the Prime Minister's post. Earlier, TVK PWD Minister Aadhav Arjuna had stated that the country's top constitutional office should be held by a leader from Tamil Nadu.