Chennai, Oct 2026: The ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has registered victories in the Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly bypolls, with candidates Maragatham Kumaravel and Sathyabama defeating their respective DMK rivals. The twin wins have boosted the political standing of Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay’s government and triggered celebrations among party workers.
Maragatham Kumaravel won the Madurantakam constituency by a margin of 17,554 votes, while Sathyabama secured Dharapuram with a majority of 10,196 votes. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) finished second in both seats, with the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) placing third.
Ministers described the results as an endorsement of the TVK government’s performance during its first four months in office. For the ruling party, the victories provide fresh political momentum following a closely contested campaign involving the state’s principal political formations.
In Madurantakam, Kumaravel polled 61,470 votes, comfortably ahead of DMK candidate Paranthaman, who received 43,916 votes. AIADMK nominee Ganitha Sampath finished third with 38,770 votes. Naam Tamilar Katchi candidate Janakiraman secured 1,703 votes, while CPI(M) nominee Sugandhi received 1,441 votes.
A total of 27 candidates contested the Madurantakam seat, with counting completed in 21 rounds. Of the constituency’s 2,13,788 registered voters, 1,84,413 cast their ballots, recording a turnout of 86.26 per cent.
In Dharapuram, TVK candidate Sathyabama secured 62,596 votes, defeating DMK nominee Sukanya, who polled 52,400 votes. AIADMK candidate Bhanumathi finished third with 41,078 votes. Naam Tamilar Katchi nominee Karthika received 4,954 votes, while CPI candidate Lakshmanan polled 1,099 votes.
Dharapuram saw 22 candidates contest the election, with counting completed over 23 rounds. Of the 2,23,306 registered voters, 1,79,314 exercised their franchise, resulting in a turnout of 80.30 per cent.
The bypolls were necessitated after the legislators elected on AIADMK tickets resigned from the Assembly and joined the TVK, leaving the two constituencies vacant. Their departure set the stage for fresh electoral contests and offered the ruling party an opportunity to demonstrate its electoral support.
The campaign witnessed a multi-cornered contest involving the TVK, DMK, AIADMK, Left parties and Naam Tamilar Katchi, drawing considerable attention to the outcome.
While the verdict is limited to two constituencies, the victories offer a political boost to Vijay’s administration. The results also leave the DMK and AIADMK facing questions over their inability to capture either seat, as the TVK seeks to project the outcome as evidence of continued voter confidence in its government.
