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Tamil Nadu Bypolls 2026: Palaniswami Says AIADMK Confident as 49 Candidates Remain in Madurantakam and Dharapuram
Haripriya 22 Sept 2026 9 min read 84 views
Tamil Nadu Bypolls 2026: Two Seats Go to Polls
Tamil Nadu will vote in Madurantakam (SC) and Dharapuram (SC) Assembly constituencies on October 6, 2026, with counting scheduled for October 9.
The Election Commission announced the bypolls after vacancies arose following the resignations of AIADMK MLAs K. Maragatham Kumaravel from Madurantakam and P. Sathyabama from Dharapuram. Both subsequently joined Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).
The two constituencies are reserved for Scheduled Castes and will see a multi-cornered contest involving TVK, AIADMK, DMK, the Left parties, Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) and independents.
Maharashtra's decision to declare 265 talukas drought-affected has triggered questions from both ruling alliance leaders and the Opposition. While some areas represented by Mahayuti leaders have been excluded, the MVA has questioned the transparency of the assessment process.
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami has publicly expressed confidence that his party can perform strongly in both constituencies.
According to the September 15 IANS report supplied for this article, Palaniswami said AIADMK had won both seats in the 2026 Assembly election and maintained that the party continued to have grassroots support in the constituencies.
His comments came after AIADMK announced its candidates for the two bypolls.
The AIADMK's campaign is taking place against the backdrop of the defections of the two former MLAs who originally won the seats on AIADMK tickets.
AIADMK Names Kanitha Sampath and K. Bhanumathi
AIADMK has fielded two women candidates.
For Madurantakam, the party has nominated Kanitha Sampath, a former MLA who represented the constituency from 2011 to 2016.
For Dharapuram, AIADMK has nominated K. Bhanumathi, a Tiruppur district-level women's wing functionary and former local-body representative.
Sampath has previous electoral experience in the region and has held several positions in AIADMK over the years. Bhanumathi has also held positions in local government and the party organisation.
The nominations give AIADMK candidates with established political and organisational backgrounds in both constituencies.
Why the Two Seats Became Vacant
The bypolls are the result of a political shift involving the two former AIADMK MLAs.
K. Maragatham Kumaravel won Madurantakam in the 2026 Assembly election as an AIADMK candidate. She subsequently resigned as MLA and joined TVK.
P. Sathyabama similarly won Dharapuram on an AIADMK ticket before resigning and joining TVK.
The Election Commission subsequently announced bypolls to fill the two vacancies.
TVK Renominates the Former AIADMK MLAs
TVK has chosen to field the same two politicians who previously represented the constituencies for AIADMK.
Maragatham Kumaravel is contesting Madurantakam for TVK, while P. Sathyabama is contesting Dharapuram.
TVK announced that the two contests would be fought under the banner of its Secular Social Justice Victory Alliance. The alliance includes parties such as Congress and MDMK, according to The New Indian Express.
For TVK, the bypolls represent its first Assembly contests after the party formed the state government following the 2026 Assembly election.
DMK Announces Its Candidates
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has also announced candidates for both constituencies.
I. Paranthamen, an advocate and former MLA, is contesting Madurantakam.
S. Suganya, an advocate, has been nominated for Dharapuram.
Paranthamen filed his nomination along with TVK's Maragatham Kumaravel in Madurantakam, bringing the principal candidates directly into the campaign process.
The DMK is contesting the seats as part of the opposition political competition against TVK and AIADMK.
CPI and CPI(M) Contest Separately
The Left parties have decided to contest the two bypolls independently rather than support the TVK candidates.
The CPI(M) has fielded P. Sugandhi in Madurantakam.
The CPI has nominated P. Lakshmanan in Dharapuram.
The Left parties have stated that their decision to contest separately does not amount to withdrawing their outside support to the TVK government.
Their position creates a distinction between supporting the government in the Assembly and contesting against its candidates in the bypolls.
NTK and Independent Candidates Add to the Contest
The contest is not limited to the major parties.
Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) is also contesting in Dharapuram, while independent candidates are participating in both constituencies.
In Dharapuram, farmer leader C. Nallasamy has backed a common farmer candidate, P. Muthusamy, around demands including the Cauvery water issue and removal of the ban on toddy. The development has added another campaign platform to the Dharapuram contest.
49 Candidates Remain in the Two Constituencies
The nomination and withdrawal process has now produced a final field of 49 candidates.
According to The New Indian Express, there are:
27 candidates in Madurantakam
22 candidates in Dharapuram
49 candidates in total
A total of 57 nominations had initially been accepted as valid, but eight candidates withdrew before the deadline.
Recognised parties contesting the two seats include TVK, DMK, AIADMK, CPI and CPI(M), along with other parties and independents.
Madurantakam: A Five-Way Main Contest
Madurantakam has emerged as a multi-cornered contest, with TVK, DMK, AIADMK and the Left parties among the principal political players.
The constituency is a Scheduled Caste-reserved seat in Chengalpattu district.
The constituency has a largely rural and semi-urban character, with agriculture forming an important part of the local economy. The Madurantakam lake and its irrigation system are significant local issues for agricultural communities.
The principal named candidates include:
Party Candidate
TVK K. Maragatham Kumaravel
DMK I. Paranthamen
AIADMK Kanitha Sampath
CPI(M) P. Sugandhi
Others/Independents Multiple candidates
There are 27 candidates in the final field.
Dharapuram: 22 Candidates in the Fray
Dharapuram is another Scheduled Caste-reserved constituency, located in Tiruppur district.
The principal candidates include:
Party Candidate
TVK P. Sathyabama
DMK S. Suganya
AIADMK K. Bhanumathi
CPI P. Lakshmanan
NTK Party candidate
Others/Independents Multiple candidates
According to the final candidate information reported by The New Indian Express, 22 candidates are contesting Dharapuram.
Election Schedule
The Election Commission has fixed the following schedule:
Election Activity Date
Election notification September 9, 2026
Nomination filing September 9–16, 2026
Scrutiny September 17, 2026
Withdrawal deadline September 19, 2026
Polling October 6, 2026
Counting October 9, 2026
Completion of election process October 11, 2026
The vacancies and bypoll schedule were formally announced by the Election Commission through the government information system.
Palaniswami Raises Statewide Issues During Campaign
The September 15 IANS report also said Palaniswami criticised the TVK government over alleged unannounced power cuts in Tamil Nadu.
He argued that electricity disruptions were affecting households and students and called for corrective measures.
Palaniswami also commented on Chief Minister Vijay's visit to London for investment-related engagements and called for details of the government's investment discussions to be made public.
These statements form part of the broader AIADMK campaign messaging as the party contests seats previously won by its own former MLAs.
The claims regarding power supply and investment should be understood as Palaniswami's political statements, rather than independently established findings.
TVK Campaign and Alliance Structure
TVK is contesting the two seats with its newly formed political alliance structure.
The party has placed former AIADMK MLAs Kumaravel and Sathyabama back into the constituencies they previously represented.
The party has also appointed election responsibilities for the two constituencies, with senior TVK leaders involved in campaign organisation.
The contests therefore combine constituency-level familiarity with a new party and alliance framework.
Why the Bypolls Are Being Closely Watched
The two bypolls have several distinct political dimensions.
First Assembly Bypolls After TVK Government Formation
The elections are the first Assembly bypolls after TVK formed the state government.
Former AIADMK MLAs Contest Under TVK
The two vacancies resulted from sitting AIADMK MLAs leaving the party and joining TVK. Both are now contesting the same constituencies under their new party.
AIADMK Seeks to Retain Its Political Presence
AIADMK has nominated experienced candidates and is campaigning in constituencies where its candidates won in the 2026 Assembly election.
Palaniswami's public confidence in the two contests adds importance to the party's campaign messaging.
DMK Enters Both Contests
DMK has nominated candidates for both seats and is participating directly in the multi-cornered contests.
Left Parties Take an Independent Electoral Position
CPI and CPI(M) are contesting separately despite continuing to support the TVK government from outside the Assembly.
Candidate Numbers and Campaign Activity
The large number of candidates means that the October 6 contests will involve more than the principal party candidates.
The final field has 27 candidates in Madurantakam and 22 in Dharapuram.
The Election Commission's candidate process has moved from nominations to the final campaign stage, with political parties and candidates now campaigning before polling day.
The Election Commission website has also listed hundreds of star campaigners associated with the variousparties (opens in a new tab) participating in the bypolls.
What Voters Will Decide on October 6
Voters in Madurantakam and Dharapuram will elect representatives to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly for the remainder of the current Assembly term.
The contests are taking place in two specific constituencies and therefore the results will primarily reflect the electoral choices of voters in those areas.
Local issues, candidate profiles, party organisation, campaign messaging and alliances can all influence the outcome.
The results should therefore be distinguished from a statewide Assembly election, where voters across all constituencies participate.
Counting on October 9
Polling will take place on October 6.
After voting concludes, attention will shift to the counting process on October 9.
The results will establish who represents Madurantakam and Dharapuram in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.
The Election Commission has scheduled the completion of the overall by-election process for October 11.
Key Facts at a Glance
State: Tamil Nadu
Seats: 2
Constituencies: Madurantakam (SC), Dharapuram (SC)
Polling: October 6, 2026
Counting: October 9, 2026
Final candidates: 49
Madurantakam candidates: 27
Dharapuram candidates: 22
TVK Madurantakam candidate: K. Maragatham Kumaravel
TVK Dharapuram candidate: P. Sathyabama
AIADMK Madurantakam candidate: Kanitha Sampath
AIADMK Dharapuram candidate: K. Bhanumathi
DMK Madurantakam candidate: I. Paranthamen
DMK Dharapuram candidate: S. Suganya
CPI(M) Madurantakam candidate: P. Sugandhi
CPI Dharapuram candidate: P. Lakshmanan
Conclusion
The Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly bypolls have developed into multi-cornered contests involving TVK, AIADMK, DMK, CPI, CPI(M), NTK and independent candidates.
The elections (opens in a new tab) were triggered by the resignations of former AIADMK MLAs K. Maragatham Kumaravel and P. Sathyabama, who subsequently joined TVK and have now been renominated by their new party.
AIADMK has responded by fielding Kanitha Sampath in Madurantakam and K. Bhanumathi in Dharapuram, while DMK has nominated I. Paranthamen and S. Suganya respectively. The Left parties have chosen to contest independently, with P. Sugandhi representing CPI(M) in Madurantakam and P. Lakshmanan representing CPI in Dharapuram.
As of the final withdrawal deadline, 49 candidates remain in the fray across the two constituencies.
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami has expressed confidence in his party's prospects, while other parties are conducting their own campaigns and presenting different political and constituency-level issues to voters.
Polling will take place on October 6, followed by counting on October 9, 2026.
Source and Attribution
The latest political development regarding AIADMK's campaign was reported by IANS on September 15, 2026, while candidate and election updates have been reported by The New Indian Express, Indian Express Tamil and the Election Commission/Press Information Bureau. Political statements, such as Palaniswami's confidence about the election outcome and his criticism of the government, are presented as statements attributed to him and are not treated as independently verified conclusions.
“The Tamil Nadu Assembly bypolls in Madurantakam and Dharapuram are set for October 6, with counting on October 9. AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami has expressed confidence in his party's prospects, while ruling TVK has renominated the two former AIADMK MLAs whose resignations created the vacancies. DMK, CPI, CPI(M), NTK and independent candidates are also in the fray, with 49 candidates remaining across the two constituencies.”
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