Tamil Nadu bypolls: CM Vijay wins his first poll battle as TVK clinches both seats

TVK's victories is a significant setback for the AIADMK whose legislators defected to the ruling party and won the by-polls, merely four months after their electoral victory in April.

TVK supporters burst firecrackers outside the party's headquarters in Chennai celebrating the electoral victory | PTI

Chennai: TVK candidates K. Maragatham Kumaravel and P. Sathyabama won the by-elections to Tamil Nadu’s Madurantakam (SC) and Dharapuram (SC) Assembly seats on Friday, marking the first electoral victory for Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay’s four-month-old government.

The by-polls, held on 6 October, were seen as a test of the TVK’s popularity after it came to power in May. The vacancies arose after Kumaravel and Sathyabama, who had won the seats as AIADMK candidates in the April 2026 Assembly elections, resigned from the Assembly and joined the TVK.

Sathyabama won Dharapuram by 9,471 votes, securing 66,841 votes against the DMK candidate’s 57,370. The AIADMK finished third with 44,874 votes. In Madurantakam, Kumaravel secured 72,240 votes by the 21st round of counting, maintaining a clear lead against the DMK candidate by 20,142 votes.

After the results were announced, Vijay thanked allies and voters and said the TVK won “without spending a single paisa on votes”.  “It is a victory against defamatory remarks targeting women, against personal attacks made in a degrading manner, and against the betrayal of impeccable leaders and their dedicated cadres,” he wrote on X.

என் நெஞ்சில் குடியிருக்கும் அனைவருக்கும் வணக்கம்.

மதுராந்தகம் மற்றும் தாராபுரம் இடைத்தேர்தல் முடிவுகள் வெளிவந்துவிட்டன. மக்கள் மனத்தில் நம் தமிழக வெற்றிக் கழகத்திற்கென இருக்கும் முதன்மைச் சக்திக்கான முதலிடமும், நமது மனசாட்சி உள்ள மக்களாட்சி மீதான நம் சொந்தங்களின் ஆழ்மன…

— TVK Vijay (@TVKVijayHQ) October 9, 2026

The victories strengthen Vijay’s government, which fell short of a simple majority in the April elections, winning 108 seats against the 118 required. The TVK subsequently relied on support from allies, including the Congress, VCK, IUML, CPI and CPI(M), as well as AIADMK legislators who defected to the ruling party.

The results signal continued support for the TVK despite allegations of horse-trading, criticism over law and order, and accusations that the party has reversed its positions on policies and plans.

Former AIADMK legislators retain seats

In Madurantakam, 44-year-old Kumaravel, now a TVK deputy general secretary, reclaimed the seat she had won twice earlier as an AIADMK candidate. She was a Lok Sabha member from Kancheepuram between 2014 and 2019 and began her political career as a panchayat union councillor, serving from 2006 to 2011 before becoming union chairman.

In the April election, Kumaravel secured 69,284 votes, defeating the TVK candidate by 7,194 votes. Within weeks, she resigned from the Assembly, joined TVK and returned to seek a fresh mandate from the same constituency.

In Dharapuram, 51-year-old Sathyabama, the TVK’s Tiruppur South-East district secretary, also retained her seat under a new party banner. She had won the constituency for the first time in April as an AIADMK candidate, securing 81,100 votes and defeating the DMK candidate by 16,727 votes.

A long-time AIADMK functionary with a background in agriculture, Sathyabama quit the party and resigned from the Assembly in May, citing opposition to any possible understanding between the AIADMK leadership and the DMK. She subsequently joined the TVK and contested the by-election.

Both constituencies, reserved for Scheduled Castes, witnessed multi-cornered contests. In Madurantakam, the TVK faced the DMK’s I. Paranthamen and the AIADMK’s S. Kanitha Sampath. In Dharapuram, its rivals included the DMK’s S. Suganya and the AIADMK’s K. Banumathi. Candidates from Naam Tamilar Katchi and the Left parties also contested.

The TVK contested with the support of the Congress, VCK, MDMK and IUML under its Secular Social Justice Victory Alliance.

Political analyst A Ramasamy said the results showed that the TVK could attract and retain traditional AIADMK voters in two distinct regions—northern Tamil Nadu’s Madurantakam belt and Dharapuram in the west. “It will further boost TVK’s organisational confidence ahead of future contests,” he told ThePrint, adding that the outcome was a setback for the AIADMK and could encourage more of its legislators to join the ruling party.
Despite fielding candidates against its own recent winners and describing their defections as horse-trading and betrayal, the AIADMK failed to regain the seats. The defeats further expose the party’s organisational vulnerabilities after it slipped to third place statewide in the April elections, weakening its claim to remain the principal alternative to the DMK.

Allies claim credit, DMK fails to capitalise

The TVK led in both constituencies from the first round of counting, with party members expressing confidence in victory from the outset.

TVK minister K. A. Sengottaiyan described the results as a “testament and proof to the people of the good governance” being delivered by Vijay. He said the by-elections were a historic event that recognised the chief minister’s achievements. Asked whether more AIADMK legislators would join the TVK, Sengottaiyan said the party would wait and see how the political situation evolved.

The TVK’s allies also credited their campaigning efforts for the victories. Congress leader and higher education minister P. Viswanathan said his party had historically enjoyed strong support in Madurantakam.

“We have stood victorious because alliance parties, including IUML, MDMK and VCK, toiled tirelessly,” he told reporters on Friday.

The DMK, meanwhile, failed to turn public resentment over the resignations into electoral gains. Despite campaigning against what it described as “engineered” vacancies and alleged inducements, the principal opposition party could not dislodge the TVK candidates.

Majority mark within reach

The victories increase the TVK’s Assembly strength and bring it closer to the 118-seat majority mark, potentially reducing its dependence on external support.

Political analyst Sunil Kumar said the Left parties’ support could become less significant as the TVK strengthened its position.

“With the recent escalation of differences between the Left parties and the government, the arrangement of outside support might end. The repeated criticism of the government by the Left parties over its policies and initiatives might prompt the TVK to drop them as allies and continue with the five Congress seats and two seats each of the VCK and IUML, which would bring the total to 118,” Sunil told ThePrint.

Voter turnout in the 6 October polling stood at approximately 86.3 percent in Madurantakam and 80.3 percent in Dharapuram, down by roughly seven and nine to 10 percentage points, respectively, from the high turnout recorded in the April elections.

The decline was attributed largely to voter fatigue, with electors returning to the polling booths barely five months after the Assembly elections. Other factors, including the absence of a full public holiday in some areas, may also have contributed to the lower turnout. However, participation remained high by historical standards for by-elections.

(Edited by Chingkheinganbi Mayengbam)