Tamil Nadu Bypolls: TVK, DMK, AIADMK Face Off as BJP Accuses Ruling Party of ‘Horse-Trading’

Tamil Nadu is set for a high-stakes political contest on October 6, when voters in the reserved Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly constituencies will return to the polling booths just months after the state elections.

The bypolls will be the first electoral test of Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s TVK government since it came to power following the April 23 Assembly polls.

The ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has renominated former AIADMK MLAs K Maragatham Kumaravel and P Sathyabama from Madurantakam and Dharapuram, respectively. Both had won the seats on AIADMK tickets in the Assembly elections but subsequently resigned and joined TVK, resulting in the vacancies.

Kumaravel, who is now a TVK deputy general secretary, will contest Madurantakam, while Sathyabama, the party's Tiruppur south-east district secretary, will seek another term from Dharapuram.

The DMK has nominated advocate I Parandaman from Madurantakam and S Suganya from Dharapuram. The AIADMK has fielded former MLA Kanitha Sampath in Madurantakam and K Banumathi in Dharapuram.

The BJP has announced its support for the AIADMK candidates. BJP Tamil Nadu president Nainar Nagendran has accused TVK of triggering unnecessary bypolls through alleged “horse-trading”, arguing that voters are being asked to elect representatives again within months of the Assembly polls.

Nagendran said senior BJP leaders, including M Venkatesan and Nandakumar, would campaign for the AIADMK nominees.

The contests are expected to test TVK's early popularity while giving the DMK and AIADMK an opportunity to challenge the ruling party.

The Election Commission has fixed October 6 for polling and October 9 for counting. Nominations will close on September 16, followed by scrutiny on September 17 and withdrawal of candidature on September 19.