The Election Commission has announced by-elections for the Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu, setting the stage for a five-corner contest involving the DMK, AIADMK, TVK, the Communist parties and the Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK). With multiple parties fielding candidates and senior leaders expected to campaign, both constituencies are likely to witness intense political activity.
The bypolls follow a series of resignations that left several Assembly seats vacant. TVK leader and Chief Minister Vijay, who had won in Perambur (Chennai) and Tiruchirappalli East in the last Assembly election, resigned from his Tiruchirappalli East MLA post. Separately, six AIADMK MLAs—elected from Madurantakam, Dharapuram, Ambasamudram, Viralimalai, Karur, and Perundurai—resigned and later joined TVK, taking the total number of vacant seats to seven.
However, the Commission has scheduled elections only for Madurantakam and Dharapuram, citing pending election cases in the remaining five constituencies. The bypolls for these two seats are slated for next month on the 6th.
TVK has named Maragatham Kumaravel for Madurantakam and Sathyabama for Dharapuram—both of whom resigned as MLAs after moving from AIADMK to TVK. In Madurantakam, DMK has announced Paranthaman, AIADMK has fielded Kanitha Sampath, and NTK has named Janakiraman. In Dharapuram, DMK has fielded Suganya, AIADMK has named Bhanumathi, and NTK has announced Karthika.
The Communist parties, which have been extending outside support to the TVK government, have decided to contest the bypolls jointly rather than align with any front. CPI state secretary Veerappandian said the party would not be part of any alliance in the current political climate and described the by-election as “imposed,” adding that CPI would contest in Dharapuram while CPM would contest in Madurantakam, with candidates to be finalised on the 15th. CPM state secretary Shanmugam also termed the bypoll “imposed,” questioning the rationale behind quick resignations and warning it could encourage unhealthy political practices, while reiterating that the Left would campaign on issues including unemployment and rising drug culture.
