Campaigning for the 6 October Assembly bypolls in Madurantakam and Dharapuram concluded at 6 p.m. on Sunday, drawing the curtain on an intense contest marked by high-decibel roadshows and public meetings across both constituencies in Tamil Nadu. The two seats together attracted the top brass of the state's major political formations, signalling the outsized symbolic weight these bypolls carry.

CM Vijay's Dharapuram Campaign Trail

Chief Minister and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leader Vijay headlined the final day of campaigning with a roadshow through Dharapuram, backing the party's candidate P. Sathyabama. He flew from Chennai to Coimbatore Sunday morning before taking a helicopter to a helipad at Maruthi Nagar in Dharapuram, arriving around 11 a.m.

Travelling in a campaign vehicle with Sathyabama by his side, Vijay moved through the Udumalai roundabout junction, Periyar statue junction, Five Roads junction, Meenakshipuram, Kulathupalayam, Karaiyur, Mulanur, and Vanchi Amman temple — covering roughly 40 kilometres between Dharapuram and Mulanur. Thousands of party workers and residents lined the route, with elaborate security arrangements in place. This was Vijay's second campaign visit for Sathyabama; he had earlier held a separate roadshow in Madurantakam for TVK candidate Maragatham Kumaravel.

DMK Fires Back at TVK

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) President and Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had campaigned in Dharapuram on Saturday, leading a roadshow from the Amaravathi statue in support of party candidate S. Sukanya. At a separate campaign meeting for DMK's Madurantakam candidate Paranthaman, Stalin sharply criticised CM Vijay's political rhetoric.

Referring to Vijay's assertion that a five-minute speech could shake the world, Stalin accused the Chief Minister of 'making a spectacle of himself to secure votes in a single Assembly constituency.' Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin also canvassed for Sukanya in Dharapuram on Saturday, urging voters to 'teach the TVK-led state government a lesson for failing to control rising prices.'

AIADMK Raises Farmer Question

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) campaigned for Bhanumathi in Dharapuram and Ganitha Sampath in Madurantakam. Addressing a gathering after canvassing in Acharapakkam, Palaniswami questioned CM Vijay's credentials on agrarian issues. 'What have you done for farmers? Driving a tractor does not make you a farmer,' he said.

Contest and Constituency Details

Both Assembly constituencies face five-way contests at the headline party level, with extensive voter outreach in the closing days. Dharapuram, a reserved constituency in Tiruppur district, has 22 candidates in the fray, including nominees of political parties and independents. Polling across both seats is scheduled for 6 October 2026.

The intense campaign activity by the state's three principal formations — TVK, DMK, and AIADMK — underscores how these two bypolls have become an early referendum on Vijay's governance as Chief Minister, with results expected to set the political temperature well ahead of the next state election cycle.