Tamil Nadu Set for Seven Assembly Bypolls After Karur MLA M. R. Vijayabaskar Resigns

The Karur Assembly constituency in Tamil Nadu has officially been declared vacant following the resignation of former state minister M. R. Vijayabaskar as MLA, taking the total number of vacant seats in the state Assembly to seven and paving the way for bypolls.

Vijayabaskar, who resigned on June 29 , had won the Karur seat in the April 23 Assembly election after defeating V. P. Mathiyalagan of the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). He is now widely expected to join the TVK , marking another setback for the opposition AIADMK .

His resignation comes after he was among 25 AIADMK rebel MLAs who voted in favour of the TVK government during the Assembly floor test on May 13 , defying the party's directive. He is the sixth AIADMK legislator to resign following the party's poor performance in the Assembly elections, underscoring an ongoing exodus from the party.

With Vijayabaskar's departure, the AIADMK's strength in the Assembly has fallen from 47 to 41 MLAs .

The seventh vacancy is in Tiruchirappalli East , which was vacated by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay after he chose to retain the Perambur Assembly constituency following his victory from two seats.

The six resignations from the AIADMK have left Karur, Viralimalai, Madurantakam, Dharapuram, Perundurai, and Ambasamudram without elected representatives. Along with Tiruchirappalli East , these constituencies are expected to go to bypolls, though the Election Commission is yet to announce the schedule.

Several of the rebel legislators, including Maragatham Kumaravel, P. Sathyabama, S. Jayakumar, and Esakki Subaya , have already joined the ruling TVK, while former Health Minister C. Vijayabaskar is also expected to follow, highlighting the continuing political realignment in Tamil Nadu ahead of the by-elections.