AIADMK confident of winning Madurantakam, Dharapuram bypolls: Palaniswami
Synopsis
With six legislators already lost to defection, AIADMK's Palaniswami is staking his party's organisational credibility on two SC-reserved seats it won in 2026 — only to see the very legislators who held them switch sides and contest against him on 6 October.
Key Takeaways
AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K.
Palaniswami expressed confidence of winning the Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly bypolls in a post on 15 September 2026 .
Polling is on 6 October ; counting on 9 October .
Both are Scheduled Caste-reserved constituencies.
The bypolls were triggered after sitting AIADMK MLAs K.
Maragatham Kumaravel and P.
Sathyabama resigned to join TVK .
Six AIADMK legislators have defected or broken ranks since the 2026 state election, raising pressure on Palaniswami's leadership.
AIADMK has fielded Kanitha Sampath (Madurantakam) and Bhanumathi (Dharapuram); DMK has nominated Advocate I.
Paranthamen and Advocate S.
Suganya respectively.
Palaniswami also attacked the government over unannounced power cuts and called on CM Vijay to disclose details of his London investment visit.
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Tuesday, 15 September 2026, expressed firm confidence that his party would win the upcoming Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly by-elections, calling both constituencies traditional strongholds of the opposition. Polling is scheduled for 6 October, with counting on 9 October.
Why the Bypolls Were Called
The vacancies arose after AIADMK legislators K. Maragatham Kumaravel of Madurantakam and P. Sathyabama of Dharapuram resigned their Assembly seats and joined Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). The ruling party has now fielded both former AIADMK legislators from their respective constituencies, hoping to leverage CM Vijay's popularity and the reach of its Secular Social Justice Victory Alliance.
Candidates in the Fray
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has nominated Advocate I. Paranthamen, joint secretary of its legal wing, for Madurantakam, and Advocate S. Suganya for Dharapuram. AIADMK has fielded former legislator Kanitha Sampath in Madurantakam and Bhanumathi — a Tiruppur district women's wing functionary and former local body representative — in Dharapuram. Both constituencies are Scheduled Caste-reserved seats.
The Stakes for AIADMK
The contests carry outsized political significance for Palaniswami. His party has faced a wave of defections since its defeat in the 2026 state Assembly election, with six AIADMK legislators having resigned or broken ranks, bolstering the ruling TVK and intensifying scrutiny of Palaniswami's grip on the legislature group. Palaniswami maintained that the AIADMK had won both seats in the 2026 Assembly election and retained considerable grassroots support there, arguing that voters would back the party again despite the changed political circumstances.
Palaniswami Targets CM Vijay on London Trip and Power Cuts
Beyond the bypolls, Palaniswami used his social media post to target the state government on two fronts. He called on CM Vijay to publicly disclose the full details of his London visit, undertaken to attract industrial investment, upon returning to Chennai. He also criticised unannounced power cuts across Tamil Nadu, arguing that the outages were causing serious hardship — exposing families to mosquito bites at night and disrupting students' studies. He urged the administration to take corrective measures immediately to protect households, businesses, and students.
Victories in both by-elections would allow AIADMK to signal that its organisational base remains intact despite the defections — setting the tone for a longer battle against the ruling TVK and its allies ahead of future electoral contests.
Point of View
Who now contest under a rival banner. A loss in either constituency — especially in seats AIADMK won at the general election just months ago — would deepen questions about whether Palaniswami's leadership can arrest the organisational bleeding. The power-cuts broadside and London-trip challenge suggest the party is also sharpening its anti-incumbency narrative for the longer haul, but that message will ring hollow if the bypoll results go against it.
NationPress
15 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
When are the Madurantakam and Dharapuram bypolls?
Polling in both constituencies is scheduled for 6 October 2026, with votes counted on 9 October. Both are Scheduled Caste-reserved Assembly seats in Tamil Nadu.
Why were the Madurantakam and Dharapuram bypolls called?
The bypolls were necessitated after sitting AIADMK legislators K. Maragatham Kumaravel (Madurantakam) and P. Sathyabama (Dharapuram) resigned their Assembly seats and joined Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam. TVK has now fielded both former legislators from their respective constituencies.
Who are the main candidates in these bypolls?
AIADMK has fielded former legislator Kanitha Sampath in Madurantakam and Bhanumathi, a Tiruppur district women's wing functionary, in Dharapuram. DMK has nominated Advocate I. Paranthamen for Madurantakam and Advocate S. Suganya for Dharapuram. TVK is fielding the two former AIADMK legislators who switched sides.
Why are these bypolls politically significant for Palaniswami?
Six AIADMK legislators have resigned or broken ranks since the 2026 state election, raising serious questions about Palaniswami's control of the legislature group. Winning these two seats would help the AIADMK demonstrate that its grassroots support remains intact despite the wave of defections.
What else did Palaniswami say in his social media post?
Beyond the bypolls, Palaniswami criticised unannounced power cuts across Tamil Nadu, saying they were causing hardship to families and disrupting students' studies. He also called on Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay to publicly disclose full details of his London investment visit upon returning to Chennai.
