Archive · 10 Oct 2026
TVK Wins Two Tamil Nadu Bypolls, Assembly Tally Rises to 109
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, or TVK, won two special elections in Tamil Nadu.
Maragatham Kumaravel won in Madurantakam, and P Sathyabama won in Dharapuram.
Both had previously been elected for the AIADMK before joining TVK.
The wins raised TVK’s Assembly total from 107 to 109 seats out of 234.
The articles differ on how far TVK is from a majority: one says eight seats, while the other says nine seats short of the 118-seat mark.
TVK still does not have a majority on its own.
Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay said the results showed people’s power and democracy.
DMK leader MK Stalin called the win temporary and said the DMK’s influence remained strong.
The results also put more attention on the AIADMK’s losses and on possible future alliances.
Ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) won the Madurantakam and Dharapuram by-elections, raising its Assembly strength from 107 to 109 of 234 seats.
Maragatham Kumaravel won Madurantakam with 74,048 votes, defeating DMK candidate I Paranthamen; AIADMK candidate S Kanitha Sampath finished third.
P Sathyabama won Dharapuram with 66,841 votes, defeating DMK candidate S Suganya; AIADMK candidate K Banumathi finished third.
The seats became vacant after Kumaravel and Sathyabama resigned from the AIADMK and joined TVK; Vijay had also vacated Tiruchirapalli East after retaining Perambur.
Vijay hailed the results as a victory for people’s power and democracy, while MK Stalin called them temporary and criticized the by-polls.
- Who
- Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), its candidates Maragatham Kumaravel and P Sathyabama, and their DMK and AIADMK rivals.
- What
- TVK won the Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly by-elections, taking its tally to 109 seats.
- When
- Results were reported on October 9, 2026.
- Where
- Madurantakam and Dharapuram constituencies in Tamil Nadu, India.
- Why
- The seats became vacant after AIADMK legislators Maragatham Kumaravel and P Sathyabama resigned and joined TVK.
TVK and Vijay
DMK and Stalin
Meaning of the results
TVK and Vijay
Vijay described the victories as a demonstration of people’s power and said TVK won without spending money on votes.
DMK and Stalin
Stalin called the victory temporary and argued that TVK had not secured majority support when opposition votes were considered together.
Democratic conduct and campaign
TVK and Vijay
Vijay said the result safeguarded democracy and rejected money power; he also characterized the win as a response to speech targeting women.
DMK and Stalin
Stalin called the by-elections a blatant murder of democracy and said Vijay’s campaign had not shaken the DMK’s influence.
- TVK Assembly strength
- 109 of 234 seats after the by-elections
- Majority mark
- 118 seats; one article says TVK is nine short, while the other says eight short
- Madurantakam result
- Maragatham Kumaravel (TVK): 74,048; I Paranthamen (DMK): 54,008
- Dharapuram result
- P Sathyabama (TVK): 66,841; S Suganya (DMK): 57,370
- By-election trigger
- Kumaravel and Sathyabama resigned from their AIADMK seats on May 25 and joined TVK
- Next vacant seats
- One article says five other seats could go to by-elections, including Tiruchirapalli East
- Published
- October 9, 2026
