The ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has won the Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly bypolls in Tamil Nadu, with candidates Maragatham Kumaravel and Sathyabama defeating their respective DMK rivals. The twin victories have strengthened the political position of Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay’s government, with ministers describing the results as an endorsement of its performance over the past four months.
The DMK finished second in both constituencies, with the AIADMK in third place. Maragatham Kumaravel won Madurantakam by 17,554 votes, while Sathyabama secured Dharapuram by a margin of 10,196 votes.
Party workers celebrated as the victories were confirmed, while the opposition DMK and AIADMK faced questions over their inability to win either seat. Earlier reporting noted: Chennai: The ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has won both assembly seats that went to by-elections in Tamil Nadu – Madurantakam and Dharapuram – strengthening Chief Minister Vijay’s position while dealing a fresh blow to the AIADMK. The results provide a political boost to the TVK after a closely contested campaign involving the state’s major political parties. How the bypolls became necessary The two bypolls were necessitated after the legislators elected on AIADMK tickets resigned from the Assembly and joined the TVK. Their departure led to the vacancies, giving the ruling party an opportunity to test its electoral support in the constituencies. The campaign saw a five-cornered contest involving the TVK, DMK, AIADMK, Left parties and Naam Tamilar Katchi. The results were closely watched for what they could indicate about the political standing of the ruling party and its principal rivals. For the TVK, victories in both seats offer an opportunity to highlight voter support for Vijay’s administration. The party can also point to the results as a sign of its ability to consolidate its position after coming to power. the wins give the chief minister’s government fresh political momentum Although the results are limited to two constituencies. The party will now look towards five other vacant seats that could go to by-elections soon, including Trichy East, which Vijay vacated after choosing to retain Perambur. TVK fielded both leaders again, turning the by-polls into a test of whether they could retain their constituencies under their new political banner.
In Madurantakam, Maragatham Kumaravel polled 61,470 votes, defeating DMK candidate Paranthaman, who received 43,916 votes. AIADMK nominee Ganitha Sampath finished third with 38,770 votes. Naam Tamilar Katchi candidate Janakiraman secured 1,703 votes, while CPI(M) nominee Sugandhi received 1,441 votes. A total of 27 candidates contested the seat, with counting completed in 21 rounds. Madurantakam recorded a voter turnout of 86.26 per cent. Of the constituency’s 2,13,788 registered voters, 1,84,413 cast their ballots. In Dharapuram, TVK candidate Sathyabama won with 62,596 votes, defeating DMK nominee Sukanya, who polled 52,400 votes. AIADMK candidate Bhanumathi finished third with 41,078 votes. Naam Tamilar Katchi nominee Karthika received 4,954 votes, while CPI candidate Lakshmanan secured 1,099 votes. The Dharapuram contest featured 22 candidates, with counting completed in 23 rounds. The constituency recorded a turnout of 80.30 per cent, as 1,79,314 of its 2,23,306 registered voters exercised their franchise. For the DMK and AIADMK, the outcome presents a setback and an opportunity to reassess their campaign strategies ahead of future electoral contests. (With IANS inputs) Earlier reporting noted: The victories take TVK’s strength from 107 to 109 in the 234-member Assembly, still nine short of the majority mark of 118. The victories take TVK’s strength from 107 to 109 in the 234-member Assembly, still nine short of the majority mark of 118.
Earlier reporting noted: The seats fell vacant after sitting AIADMK MLAs Maragatham Kumaravel and Sathyabhama resigned within weeks of the Assembly elections and joined the ruling TVK, amid allegations of horse-trading that the party has denied.
