The ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), which came to power in Tamil Nadu exactly five months ago, passed its first electoral test in Tamil Nadu on Friday (October 9, 2026), bagging the Madurantakam and Dharapuram (Reserved) Assembly constituencies. In Puducherry, the ruling All India N.R. Congress (AINRC) retained Thattanchavady.

Both in Madurantakam and Dharapuram, TVK nominees Maragatham Kumaravel and P. Sathyabama were elected with comfortable margins of 20,040 votes and 9,471 votes respectively. They won from these constituencies in April-May 2026 as AIADMK candidates and then defected to the ruling party after resigning as MLAs.

This time, they defeated the nearest rivals, I. Paranthamen and S. Suganya, both of the DMK. S. Kanitha Sampath and K. Banumathi of the AIADMK finished third.

The candidates put up by the CPI and the CPI(Marxist) in Dharapuram and Madurantakam, as part of the Left bloc, fared miserably; so did the nominees of the Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK). All the four contestants forfeited their deposits. The NTK, which came fourth in both constituencies, secured 2.92% and 1.46% of the votes polled, while the CPI got about 0.6% in Dharapuram and the CPI(M) 1.07% in Madurantakam.

With the victory in the two constituencies, the TVK’s strength in the Assembly rose to 108, excluding the Speaker. Five seats are still vacant.

The State is known for favouring the party in power in byelections. However, the Madurantakam and Dharapuram byelections, held in five months of the TVK capturing power, were watched closely. Leaders of the three major contenders were deeply involved in the campaign.

TVK president and Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay campaigned two days each in the two constituencies, as it was done by AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami. As for the principal Opposition DMK, its leader M.K.Stalin, former Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, and Thoothukudi MP Kanimozhi Rajathi Karunanidhi canvassed votes for the party nominees. Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) founder T.T.V. Dhinakaran and Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) general secretary Premallatha Vijayakant campaigned for the nominees of the AIADMK and the DMK respectively.

While the TVK saw the byelections as a chance for popular endorsement of its rule, the DMK accused the ruling party of being immature in the manner in which it had been conducting the administration and the AIADMK, alluding to its former members fielded by the ruling party, called upon the electors to reject the “traitors”.

In Thattanchavady, the AINRC’s Ashok Anand outsmarted his immediate challenger, E. Vinayagam of the Congress, by 8,482 votes, almost double the margin recorded by Chief Minister and AINRC founder N. Rangasamy in the April Assembly election. As the Chief Minister was also elected from Mangalam and chose to retain it, the vacancy arose in Thattanchavady. This time, Mr. Anand netted 13,358 votes and Mr. Vinayagam polled 4,876 votes.

The AINRC is being supported by the BJP and the AIADMK, whereas the Congress is being backed by the TVK. Tamil Nadu Minister for Public Works Adhav Arjuna spoke at an indoor meeting there. The DMK, the CPI, the NTK, and six other contestants forfeited their deposits.