Archive · 12 Oct 2026
Thirumavalavan Says VCK Votes Helped TVK Alliance Win Bypolls
Thol.
Thirumavalavan is a leader of the VCK party.
He said his party’s voters helped an alliance led by the TVK win two Assembly by-elections.
The seats were Madurantakam and Dharapuram.
Some people have credited the wins to voters from the PMK, but Thirumavalavan said that explanation was not enough.
The PMK had not backed any candidate, and he said its voters should not be assumed to have all voted the same way.
He also pointed to a big drop in support for the AIADMK, which had won both seats in the general election.
He said concerns about elected representatives switching parties might have affected voters, but more analysis was needed.
He also urged the DMK to cooperate with the INDIA bloc against the BJP.
VCK leader Thol. Thirumavalavan said VCK voters helped the TVK-led alliance win the Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly bypolls.
He rejected claims that the victories could be explained by a complete transfer of PMK voters to the alliance.
Thirumavalavan said the AIADMK’s vote share had substantially eroded after it won both seats in the general election.
He suggested voters may have been concerned that elected AIADMK representatives could change political allegiance, while saying the defeat needed fuller analysis.
He also called for the DMK to work with the INDIA bloc to oppose the BJP.
- Who
- VCK leader Thol. Thirumavalavan, discussing the TVK-led alliance, the AIADMK and the PMK.
- What
- He said VCK voters contributed to the alliance’s wins in two Assembly bypolls and disputed claims that PMK voters alone explained the results.
- When
- After the Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly bypolls; no date is specified.
- Where
- The bypolls were in Madurantakam and Dharapuram, Tamil Nadu. Thirumavalavan spoke at the VCK office in Ashok Nagar, Chennai.
- Why
- He said the role of VCK voters should be recognized and called for a fuller assessment of the AIADMK’s losses and the distribution of votes.
Thirumavalavan’s arguments
Alternative explanations raised
What drove the alliance’s wins
Thirumavalavan’s arguments
Thirumavalavan said VCK voters helped the TVK-led alliance win both seats and rejected the idea that PMK voters alone accounted for the victories.
Alternative explanations raised
Some attempts to explain the results attributed the alliance’s success to a transfer of PMK votes; Thirumavalavan said that claim did not establish how PMK voters actually voted.
Why the AIADMK lost support
Thirumavalavan’s arguments
Thirumavalavan suggested voters may have questioned the value of backing AIADMK candidates if elected representatives might later switch political allegiance.
Alternative explanations raised
He said this was only a possible explanation and that the circumstances of the AIADMK’s defeat and the movement of its votes required further assessment.
- Bypoll constituencies
- Madurantakam and Dharapuram
- Winning alliance
- TVK-led alliance
- VCK leader
- Thol. Thirumavalavan
- PMK position
- The PMK decided against backing any contestant.
- Previous general-election result
- The AIADMK had won both seats.
- Thirumavalavan’s additional political call
- He said the DMK should join hands with the INDIA bloc to oppose the BJP.