Chennai: Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has reworked its by-election campaign strategy after facing growing resistance to its candidates in Madurantakam and Dharapuram.
The bypolls, scheduled for October 6, were triggered after Maragatham (Madurantakam) and Sathyabama (Dharapuram) resigned as AIADMK MLAs and later joined TVK. Both are now contesting the seats on the TVK ticket.
With a five-cornered contest expected, the party had initially planned an aggressive push to secure victory by a margin of one lakh votes. Ministers and party functionaries have been conducting intensive campaigning as part of this plan.
However, local dissatisfaction has surfaced over the candidates switching parties after winning on the AIADMK symbol. According to the report, protests and objections during outreach have led to campaign events being cancelled in some areas.
Party sources said that while support for TVK in Madurantakam increased after Chief Minister Vijay’s campaign, resentment toward the candidates remains. With only six days left for campaigning to end, the leadership has advised the candidates to avoid solo canvassing, appear mainly alongside ministers, and stay away from areas where opposition is strong.
