Tamil Nadu is set for by-elections in the Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly constituencies on October 6, 2026, with the Election Commission scheduled to announce the results on October 9.
The ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) and opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) have now announced their candidates for the two seats.
Why are Madurantakam and Dharapuram going to polls?
AIADMK candidates won both constituencies in the April 2026 Assembly election. However, K. Maragatham Kumaravel, who won Madurantakam, and P. Sathyabama, who secured Dharapuram, subsequently left the AIADMK and joined the ruling TVK.
Their move left the two Assembly seats vacant, paving the way for the upcoming by-elections.
The two contests are significant for TVK as Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay's party seeks to strengthen its position after forming the government earlier this year. For the DMK, the bypolls provide an opportunity to challenge the ruling party in two constituencies.
TVK fields former AIADMK winners
TVK has chosen Maragatham Kumaravel and P. Sathyabama to contest the seats they won earlier this year.
K. Maragatham Kumaravel - Madurantakam
Kumaravel has considerable electoral experience. She has represented Madurantakam twice, winning the constituency in both 2021 and 2026 on AIADMK tickets. She had also served as the Member of Parliament for Kancheepuram between 2014 and 2019.
Her return to the constituency as a TVK candidate sets up a direct contest with the DMK's nominee in the by-election.
P. Sathyabama - Dharapuram
The 51-year-old Sathyabama entered the Tamil Nadu Assembly for the first time in the 2026 election. Contesting the Dharapuram seat as an AIADMK candidate, she defeated her nearest DMK opponent by more than 16,000 votes.
She will now seek another term from the same constituency, this time representing TVK.
DMK announces its candidates
The DMK announced its nominees for both constituencies on Wednesday.
Advocate I Paranthamen, joint secretary of the party's legal wing and a former MLA from Egmore, has been selected to contest Madurantakam.
For Dharapuram, the DMK has fielded advocate S Suganya. She comes from a family with a long association with the Dravidian movement and represents a younger professional face for the party in the constituency.
Paranthamen has expressed confidence that the DMK can win both seats. He acknowledged that the party does not have a particularly strong organisational base in either constituency but said the election on October 6 would determine the voters' verdict.
Why the bypolls matter
The Madurantakam and Dharapuram contests are among the first major electoral tests for the TVK government after the 2026 Assembly election.
A victory in both constituencies would strengthen Vijay's political position, while gains for the DMK could provide the opposition with momentum.
Other political parties are also expected to announce their candidates as campaigning for the October 6 by-elections gathers pace.
