Hundreds of the hottest tickets in town — for President-elect Barack Obama ’s swearing-in at the Capitol — are up for grabs because of the undecided Senate election in Minnesota and the scandal in Illinois that has delayed the selection of Obama’s successor.

Tickets to the Jan. 20 ceremony, which members of Congress distribute, are allocated to certified and seated members of the House and Senate. Members of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inauguration Ceremonies have a decision to make because Minnesota has not declared a winner of the race between Republican Sen. Norm Coleman and Democratic challenger Al Franken.

“We’re still discussing it,” said Carole Florman, inaugural committee spokeswoman, noting that there is no precedent to follow. “There are obviously a number of extraordinary circumstances. We’ll determine what is the best and fairest thing to do.”

In Illinois, Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich was arrested Dec. 9 and charged with trying to trade an appointment to the Senate seat that Obama vacated for various favors. Majority Leader Harry Reid , D-Nev., has said the Senate would refuse to seat anyone the governor names. Impeachment proceedings have begun and there is talk of a special election. Unless Blagojevich resigns and allows a new governor to make the appointment, Obama’s seat is unlikely to be filled soon.

Howard Gantman, staff director of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, said if the uncertainty remains when the tickets are handed out, “we will consult with the other members of the committee and with the state delegation to determine the best way to distribute these.”

Rank and file House members get 198 tickets each. Sources say senators each get roughly double that. Many lawmakers have been so swamped with ticket requests that they have resorted to lotteries.