Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) President and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay is set to begin his campaign for the Madurantakam Assembly by-election on Friday, September 25, stepping directly into a contest that has become one of the first major electoral battles for his party after forming the government.
The meeting is being organised in support of TVK candidate K. Maragatham Kumaravel, who represented Madurantakam as an AIADMK MLA before resigning and joining TVK.
Why Are Madurantakam and Dharapuram Going To A By-Election
Following the May 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, the newly formed government led by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay faced a confidence motion.
Several rebel legislators from the main opposition party, the AIADMK, broke ranks to vote in favour of the TVK government.
Shortly thereafter, six AIADMK MLAs officially resigned from their elected positions within weeks of taking their oaths and formally joined the ruling TVK.
The formal acceptance of these resignations legally left their respective Assembly constituencies vacant, necessitating bypolls under Election Commission regulations to select new representatives.
While six AIADMK legislators resigned in total, the Election Commission of India (ECI) cleared bypolls only for Madurantakam and Dharapuram.
The other four vacant constituencies, such as Viralimalai, Karur, Ambasamudram and Perundurai, are currently on hold because of pending election petitions filed in court for those seats.
A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in the Madras High Court to stop the elections, with critics calling the resignations a "mockery of democracy" funded by taxpayers.
However, the High Court dismissed the plea on September 24, 2026, ruling that it is legally up to Parliament, not the courts, to alter laws regarding elected representatives who choose to resign and re-contest.
Official Candidate Lineups
The bypolls have drawn intense national attention and legal scrutiny because the TVK immediately refiled the same list.
Madurantakam Assembly Constituency
The TVK has fielded defected MLA Maragatham Kumaravel seeking re-election; the DMK has nominated former Egmore MLA and legal professional I. Paranthamen, and the AIADMK has brought in former legislator Kanitha Sampath.
Dharapuram Assembly Constituency
The TVK is represented by defected former AIADMK MLA P. Sathyabama, the DMK by advocate and women's wing leader S. Suganya, and the AIADMK by former district panchayat council member K. Bhanumathi.
Key Details Of The Campaign
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and TVK leader C. Joseph Vijay is launching his by-election campaign today, September 25, 2026, in the Madurantakam Assembly constituency.
The high-profile public meeting is scheduled to begin at approximately 03:00 PM.
The event venue is located near the Athur Checkpost and toll plaza in Achirappakkam, which falls directly within the poll-bound Madurantakam constituency.
Following strict security directives from the local police, entry to the main venue is highly restricted.
The Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has limited the crowd size inside the enclosure to 5,000 attendees.
Only those with one of the 5,000 exclusive QR-coded passes issued by the party will be allowed in, and individuals without valid passes will not be allowed past the security checkpoints.
Chief Minister Vijay is hitting the ground to build political momentum ahead of the critical October 6 by-elections.
He will be the central face of the TVK campaign, but the party has already deployed a sizeable group of ministers and senior leaders.
Aadhav Arjuna is handling the Madurantakam campaign organisations, while K.G. Arunraj is responsible for Dharapuram.
Ministers including N. Anand, K. A. Sengottaiyan and C. T. R. Nirmal Kumar have been appointed as observers.
Other senior functionaries have also been assigned to the two constituencies.
Following today's event, the Chief Minister is scheduled to continue his election push with a major roadshow in the constituency on October 2.
He is executing a four-day, two-phase campaign split equally between both constituencies.
While his two days for Madurantakam are locked for today and October 2, his direct campaign dates for Dharapuram are scheduled for late September and early October.
The campaign period will run until the evening of October 4.
Voters in Madurantakam and Dharapuram will cast their ballots on October 6, and counting will take place on October 9.
The result on October 9 will provide the next electoral chapter in that political story.
