Two Communist parties that extended outside support to the Vijay-led TAVEK government have suffered a sharp setback in the Madurantakam and Dharapuram by-elections, where they contested independently.
In Madurantakam, the CPI(M) fielded Sugandhi, while in Dharapuram the CPI nominated Laxmanan. Observers had predicted that the candidates would struggle to secure even the minimum vote share required to retain their deposits.
As counting progressed, the figures indicated that the deposit loss was effectively certain. In Madurantakam, the Communist candidate was reported to have secured only 1,157 votes, and after 16 rounds Sugandhi was at 1,525 votes.
Political commentators said the results highlight the limited standalone electoral strength of the Communist parties, which they argue has often been masked when the parties aligned with larger coalitions to gain legislative positions.
