Tamil Nadu By-elections in Madurantakam and Dharapuram: Stakes, Candidates and Controversies

Tamil Nadu will hold by-elections in the SC-reserved Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly constituencies on October 6 2026. The polls were triggered after the sitting AIADMK MLAs—Maragatham Kumaravel (Madurantakam) and P. Sathyabama (Dharapuram)—resigned on May 25 2026, shortly after being elected in the April 23 Assembly election. Counting is scheduled for October 9.

The HinduTamil Nadu Bypolls: CM Vijay to campaign in AIADMK bastion of western TN 'Lewd Remarks Against Woman': Tamil Nadu Bypoll Candidate Tears Up, Vijay Consoles Her New Indian Express

Both seats were won in April 2026 on the AIADMK “Two Leaves” symbol. Their resignations and immediate entry into the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) created the first by-polls of the TVK-led government. Madurantakam (Kancheepuram district) has a sizable Scheduled-Caste population and a 2 % tribal Irula community; Dharapuram (Tiruppur district) has about 25 % Scheduled-Caste voters and an agrarian electorate dependent on the Amaravathi River.

The Hindu

• Madurantakam – TVK fields Maragatham Kumaravel; DMK fields I. Paranthamen; AIADMK fields former legislator Kanitha Sampath; NTK fields Janakiraman; CPI(M) fields P. Suganthi.

The Hindu

• Dharapuram – TVK fields P. Sathyabama; AIADMK fields K. Bhanumathi; DMK fields S. Suganya; NTK fields M. Karthika; CPI fields P. Lakshmanan; several independents also contest.

The Hindu

• In the 2026 Assembly election, AIADMK secured 40.56 % of the vote in Dharapuram, DMK 32.20 %, and TVK 23.23 %.

Tamil Nadu Bypolls: CM Vijay to campaign in AIADMK bastion of western TN

• Madurantakam’s 2021 contest saw a narrow DMK victory by 1,393 votes; the 2026 margin is not yet disclosed.

The Hindu

• Approximately 3,000 police personnel have been deployed for security in Dharapuram, with entry limited to 5,000 QR-code-verified attendees.

Tamil Nadu Bypolls: CM Vijay to campaign in AIADMK bastion of western TN

TVK chief and Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay called the by-polls a “battle for justice,” accusing the DMK and AIADMK of a covert understanding and denying “horse-trading” allegations.

Ahead Of Bypolls, Vijay Alleges Deal Between MK Stalin's DMK, E Palaniswami

DMK spokesperson TKS Elangovan dismissed Vijay’s claims as “third-rate” and said the DMK announced its candidate before the AIADMK.

Ahead Of Bypolls, Vijay Alleges Deal Between MK Stalin's DMK, E Palaniswami

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami rejected any DMK-AIADMK coalition, describing the by-polls as an opportunity to retain the two seats won in April.

Deccan Chronicle

CPI(M) state secretary P. Shanmugam alleged that TVK is distributing cash to voters in Madurantakam and called the by-polls “forcibly imposed” by TVK. CPI(M) national spokesman Pazha Selvakumar called the cash-distribution claim “completely false.”

TN bypolls: Vijay’s TVK pays more money to voters than other parties do, Left parties allege

• “Why horse-trading when people are with us?” — C. Joseph Vijay, chief minister

Ahead Of Bypolls, Vijay Alleges Deal Between MK Stalin's DMK, E Palaniswami

• “They use obscene language. They speak about me in the most vile manner, without even considering that I am a woman,” — P. Sathyabama

'Lewd Remarks Against Woman': Tamil Nadu Bypoll Candidate Tears Up, Vijay Consoles Her

TVK denies cash-for-vote activity, while Left leaders cite village testimonies alleging the opposite. No independent electoral-monitoring body has confirmed or refuted these claims.

TN bypolls: Vijay’s TVK pays more money to voters than other parties do, Left parties allege

The by-polls will be counted on October 9, determining whether TVK can increase its legislative foothold toward the “magic number” of 118 seats in the 234-member Assembly. A TVK win would raise its tally to 109 seats; a loss could reinforce opposition narratives about the party’s reliance on defections.

Deccan Chronicle