By-election results from Dharapuram and Maduranthakam are being described by observers as a crucial test for the DMK, with the outcomes seen as exposing the party’s current standing among voters.
The report notes that the Vijay-led state government, which came to power in the Tamil Nadu general election, has been taking a tough line against bribery and corruption. It says the government has announced that the earlier “party fund” practice linked to government contracts and TASMAC bars during the DMK’s rule will no longer continue, and that this has received public support.
It also highlights an instance where the Chief Minister publicly urged people to refuse if anyone asks for a bribe. According to the report, such moves have contributed to a perception among the public that the current administration is performing better than the previous DMK government.
Despite this, the report says DMK leader M.K. Stalin and Udhayanidhi Stalin have been regularly making allegations and issuing statements against the government, but that voters have not given them much weight—something the by-election results are said to have underlined.
Political watchers quoted in the report add that the DMK leadership had hoped to secure at least one seat for political momentum, but the results did not deliver that. They say the party’s only comfort is that it finished second in both constituencies.
