TVK wins both seats in Tamil Nadu by-elections, CM Vijay’s government gains support

October 9, 2026

Chennai: The ruling Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) has won the by-elections for the Madurantakam and Dharapuram assembly seats. Party candidates Maragatham Kumaravel and Sathyabama defeated DMK candidates in their respective constituencies. This victory has strengthened the political position of the government led by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay.

Maragatham Kumaravel won the Madurantakam seat by a margin of 17,554 votes, while Sathyabama won the Dharapuram seat by 10,196 votes. The DMK came in second and the AIADMK third in both seats.

 TVK wins both seats

Ministers described these two victories as a public endorsement of the TVK government’s performance over the past four months. This result for the party comes at a time when the state witnessed a tough fight between the major political parties.

In the Madurantakam constituency, Margatham Kumaravel received 61,470 votes, while DMK candidate Paranthaman received 43,916 votes. AIADMK’s Ganita Sampath came in third with 38,770 votes. Naam Tamilar Katchi candidate Janakiraman received 1,703 votes, and CPI(M) candidate Sugandhi received 1,441 votes.

A total of 27 candidates contested the constituency, and counting was completed in 21 rounds.

Satyabama wins in Dharapuram with 10,196 votes

TVK’s Satyabama received 62,596 votes in the Dharapuram Assembly constituency, defeating DMK candidate Sukanya, who received 52,400 votes. AIADMK’s Bhanumathi came in third with 41,078 votes.

Naam Tamilar Katchi candidate Karthika received 4,954 votes, while CPI candidate Lakshmanan received 1,099 votes. A total of 22 candidates contested the election, and counting took 23 rounds.

Voter turnout in both seats?

In Madurantakam, 184,413 out of 213,788 registered voters cast their ballots, yielding a voter turnout of 86.26.

In Dharapuram, 179,314 out of 223,306 registered voters cast their ballots, yielding a voter turnout of 80.30.

Thus, Madurantakam saw a higher voter turnout than Dharapuram.

By-elections held after AIADMK MLAs joined TVK

By-elections in both seats were necessitated when MLAs elected on AIADMK tickets resigned from the Assembly and joined TVK. Following this, both seats fell vacant, necessitating fresh elections.

The election campaign witnessed a five-cornered contest between the TVK, the DMK, the AIADMK, the Left parties, and the Naam Tamilar Katchi. Political parties were keenly awaiting the results, as they held significance for both the ruling party and the opposition.

TVK workers celebrated after the victory was confirmed in both seats. These results have given Chief Minister Vijay Rupani’s government a political boost. The party can now present these victories as proof of voters’ continued support, while the DMK and AIADMK will have to assess the reasons for their defeat in both seats.

Although the by-elections were limited to only two seats, their results are considered significant for the TVK in Tamil Nadu politics.