CHENNAI:
With just days left for the October 6 Assembly bypolls, the political temperature is rising in Dharapuram and Madurantakam, with the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), DMK, AIADMK, Left parties and Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) stepping up their campaigns and senior leaders preparing to hit the ground.
Chief Minister and TVK president C Joseph Vijay will campaign in Dharapuram on Wednesday, September 30, seeking votes for party candidate P Sathyabama. He is scheduled to address a public meeting at Maruthi Nagar in Chithravuthanpalayam around 3 pm. The party has made arrangements for a gathering of 5,000 people, with QR-code passes being issued for entry. TVK has also indicated that Vijay will return to the constituency for a roadshow on October 4, the final day of campaigning.
The Dharapuram campaign has already seen senior TVK leaders camping in the constituency to oversee the arrangements. Ministers K A Sengottaiyan and Arun Kumar, among other functionaries, have been involved in the preparations for Vijay’s visit. Police have also stepped up security arrangements along his route and around the meeting venue.
The bypoll was necessitated after AIADMK MLA P Sathyabama resigned from the Assembly and subsequently joined the TVK. She has now been renominated by the TVK from Dharapuram, turning the election into a direct contest over her political shift as well as the performance and support base of the new ruling party. The Madurantakam seat became vacant after another AIADMK MLA, K Maragatham Kumaravel, resigned and joined the TVK; she too is contesting the bypoll on a TVK ticket.
Dharapuram is a Scheduled Caste-reserved constituency in Tiruppur district. The final field has 22 candidates, including 17 Independents. The principal contestants are TVK’s P Sathyabama, DMK’s S Suganya, AIADMK’s K Bhanumathi, CPI’s P Lakshmanan and NTK’s M Karthika.
The DMK has mounted an intensive campaign in the constituency, with party president MK Stalin scheduled to campaign in Dharapuram on October 2. DMK youth wing secretary Udhayanidhi Stalin has also been campaigning in both constituencies, while deputy general secretary Kanimozhi Karunanidhi is scheduled to campaign for the party’s candidates. Udhayanidhi’s campaign is scheduled to conclude in Dharapuram on October 4.
The campaign has also witnessed sharp exchanges between the DMK and TVK over Sathyabama’s resignation and switch of parties. DMK candidate S Suganya has targeted Sathyabama during her campaign, while Sathyabama has denied allegations that she resigned after receiving money.
The AIADMK, meanwhile, is seeking to retain a seat it had won in the 2026 Assembly election. Party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami has already campaigned in Dharapuram and is among the party’s principal campaigners. His campaign has focused on the resignation of the former AIADMK MLAs and their subsequent move to the TVK. The campaign has also witnessed sharp personal exchanges between EPS and the TVK leadership.
NTK chief coordinator Seeman has fielded M Karthika in Dharapuram, while the CPI has nominated P Lakshmanan. The Left parties are contesting separately despite their outside support to the TVK government, adding another dimension to the multi-cornered contest.
The focus will now shift increasingly to the two final days of campaigning. In Madurantakam, Vijay has already campaigned for TVK candidate Maragatham Kumaravel, while Stalin, EPS and Seeman are also expected to intensify their programmes in the constituency. Across the two seats, 49 candidates are in the fray after the withdrawal process, with 27 in Madurantakam and 22 in Dharapuram.
The Election Commission has fixed October 6 for polling and October 9 for counting. The two bypolls are therefore entering their decisive phase, with the major parties deploying their top leadership, intensifying door-to-door outreach and sharpening their political messaging ahead of the final campaign deadline on October 4.