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Tamil Nadu by-elections: TVK wins both seats

Updated 12 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

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2026-10-09 13:52 UTC → 2026-10-12 13:56 UTC · added ~~removed~~

The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has secured victories in both the Madurantakam and Dharapuram assembly by-elections in Tamil Nadu. In Madurantakam, TVK candidate Maragatham Kumaravel won with 72,139 votes, defeating the DMK candidate. In Dharapuram, TVK candidate P. Sathyabama won with 66,841 votes, defeating candidates from both the DMK and AIADMK. Following the results, TVK leader Vijay characterized the wins as a rejection of ‘money-based politics’ and a victory against ‘defamatory speech directed at women.’ He stated the outcome demonstrates a public preference for democracy and his party’s commitment to corruption-free service. AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami criticized the outcome, suggesting voters were influenced by ‘social media reels.’ He noted that the AIADMK fell to third place in these constituencies, a result that has reportedly caused demoralization among party workers. He also suggested the by-elections were part of attempts to bolster the current government's majority. ~~The elections followed an intense period~~ Recent analysis of ~~campaigning marked by mutual accusations between~~ the ~~TVK and AIADMK. Prior to the vote, Palaniswami had questioned Vijay’s administrative capabilities, while~~ results highlights a significant shift in the ~~TVK accused~~ political landscape, characterized by a sharp decline in the ~~AIADMK of acting as~~ AIADMK’s traditional voter base. In Dharapuram, a ~~subordinate~~ former AIADMK stronghold, the party’s vote share dropped from 40.56 percent in the April Assembly elections to 25.08 percent, while Madurantakam saw a decline of 9.34 percent. Conversely, the ~~ruling DMK.~~ DMK demonstrated resilience by maintaining its core support. Despite contesting without traditional heavyweight allies, the DMK finished second in both constituencies, with its vote share dipping by only 1.1 percent in Madurantakam and less than 0.5 percent in Dharapuram. The ~~results represent a significant legislative boost for~~ rise of the ~~TVK following~~ TVK, bolstered by the ~~earlier resignations~~ defection of several AIADMK ~~MLAs who joined the party.~~ MLAs, has disrupted existing party dynamics.

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