Archive · 9 Oct 2026
TVK Sweeps Tamil Nadu Bypolls as Vijay and Stalin Disagree
TVK won two special elections in Tamil Nadu.
P Sathyabama won in Dharapuram, and Maragatham Kumaravel won in Madurantakam.
Both had won those seats for the AIADMK before leaving it to join TVK, so voters had to vote again.
Vijay said the results showed people supported TVK and rejected remarks he considered insulting to women.
DMK leader M K Stalin said the wins were temporary and criticised how the elections were conducted.
He alleged that TVK used government resources and pressured voters, but the reports do not independently establish these claims.
AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami also called the result a temporary setback and alleged TVK benefited from incumbency and tactics.
The parties therefore described the same results in very different ways.
TVK candidates P Sathyabama and Maragatham Kumaravel won the Dharapuram and Madurantakam Assembly by-elections.
In Dharapuram, Sathyabama received 66,841 votes, beating DMK’s S Suganya by 9,471.
In Madurantakam, Kumaravel won with 74,048 votes, defeating DMK’s E Paranthaman by 20,040.
Both winners had been elected as AIADMK legislators in April, then resigned and joined TVK, prompting fresh elections.
Vijay called the results a rejection of personal attacks; Stalin and AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami questioned TVK’s victory and campaign conduct.
- Who
- TVK candidates P Sathyabama and Maragatham Kumaravel; Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay; DMK president M K Stalin; and AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami.
- What
- TVK won the Dharapuram and Madurantakam Assembly by-elections, prompting competing interpretations of the results and allegations about campaign conduct.
- When
- Friday, about five months after the April Assembly elections.
- Where
- Dharapuram and Madurantakam, Tamil Nadu.
- Why
- The by-elections followed the resignations of two legislators who had won the seats for AIADMK and then joined TVK.
Vijay and TVK
DMK and AIADMK critics
Meaning of the results
Vijay and TVK
Vijay described the result as a victory for the people and a rejection of personal attacks and derogatory comments about women. Congress state president Manickam Tagore and VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan also called the outcome an endorsement of the government or its alliance.
DMK and AIADMK critics
Stalin called the wins an interim victory for betrayal and said the downfall of what he called fake-image politics had begun. Palaniswami described the result as a temporary setback for AIADMK.
Legitimacy and campaign conduct
Vijay and TVK
TVK rejected allegations that it used money to secure the victories. Vijay said the party won without paying voters.
DMK and AIADMK critics
Stalin alleged TVK used government machinery, money and police power, and raised claims of voter influence and election-rule violations. Palaniswami alleged that TVK benefited from incumbency and various tactics. These allegations are not independently established in the supplied reports.
What the vote indicates
Vijay and TVK
Vijay presented the results as evidence of TVK’s strength and voter support, including support for its response to remarks about women.
DMK and AIADMK critics
Stalin argued that votes for parties opposing TVK collectively exceeded TVK’s votes and therefore represented opposition to the government.
- Dharapuram winner
- P Sathyabama (TVK), 66,841 votes
- Dharapuram runner-up
- S Suganya (DMK), 57,370 votes
- Dharapuram margin
- 9,471 votes
- Madurantakam winner
- Maragatham Kumaravel (TVK), 74,048 votes
- Madurantakam runner-up
- E Paranthaman (DMK), 54,008 votes
- Madurantakam margin
- 20,040 votes
- Reason for by-elections
- Both winners resigned as AIADMK legislators and joined TVK after winning their constituencies in April.
- Other by-election result
- In Puducherry’s Thattanchavady, NDA candidate Ashok Anand won with 13,358 votes.
