Madras High Court extends stay on five Tamil Nadu by-elections

The Madras High Court has extended an interim stay on the notification of by-elections in five Tamil Nadu Assembly constituencies until September 8. The affected constituencies are Tiruchy East, Viralimalai, Perundurai, Ambasamudram, and Karur.

The Election Commission of India informed the court that it does not intend to notify these elections while related election petitions remain pending. The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam government opposed this position, seeking an early hearing and requesting the court to lift the stay.

One of the contested seats, Tiruchy East, was previously held by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, who vacated the seat after winning both Tiruchy East and Perambur in the 2026 Assembly elections. Additionally, DMK president MK Stalin has filed an election petition challenging the victory of TVK candidate VS Babu in the Kolathur constituency, citing alleged irregularities involving voting machines and VVPATs.