Campaigning for the October 6 assembly by‑elections in the SC‑reserved constituencies of Madurantakam and Dharapuram is set to intensify next week, with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay and AIADMK chief Edappadi K. Palaniswami scheduled to visit the two seats.
Palaniswami will spend three days in each constituency to rally support for his party’s nominees, S. Kanitha Sampath in Madurantakam and K. Banumathi in Dharapuram. The AIADMK campaign will focus on accusing the two former AIADMK legislators, Maragatham Kumaravel and P. Sathyabama, of betraying the public mandate after they resigned less than a month after their 2026 victories and joined the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). TVK has nominated the same two candidates to contest on its “whistle” symbol, making the defections a key issue.
Vijay is expected to campaign for the TVK nominees, with dates to be announced shortly by the party leadership. The contest will feature five candidates: the AIADMK nominees, DMK’s I. Paranthaman and S. Suganya, Naam Tamilar Katchi’s K. Janaki Raman and M. Karthika, and the CPI(M)’s P. Suganthi in Madurantakam and CPI’s P. Lakshmanan in Dharapuram.
The left parties have decided to contest the by‑elections separately, emphasizing the need for representatives who will raise people’s issues in the Assembly. In a setback for the AIADMK, its ally PMK has announced it will not support any party in the by‑polls. With high‑decibel rallies planned, voters in the two constituencies will decide whether they reward political realignment or penalise party defections on October 6.
