Tamil Nadu bypolls draw 60 nominations in first test for Vijay-led TVK

Nominations have closed for the Madurantakam and Dharapuram by-elections with 60 candidates in the fray. The polls will be the first electoral test for Chief Minister Vijay's TVK government amid a five-cornered contest.TVK founder and Chief Minister Vijay has fielded former AIADMK MLAs K Maragatham Kumaravel from Madurantakam and P Sathyabama from Dharapuram. (Courtesy: Reuters)Filing of nominations for the October 6 by-elections to the reserved Assembly constituencies of Madurantakam and Dharapuram in Tamil Nadu ended on Wednesday, with 60 candidates submitting their papers. The contest is set to see five main players, with the ruling TVK, the opposition DMK, the AIADMK and the Left parties in the fray.The by-polls will be the first electoral test in the state after the C Joseph Vijay-led TVK formed its first government with the support of allies after winning the April 23 Assembly polls. The final number of candidates in the contest will be known only after scrutiny of nominations begins on Thursday.According to the Chief Electoral Officer's web portal, 40 candidates, including 28 men and 12 women, have filed nominations in Madurantakam. In Dharapuram, 20 candidates, including 10 men and 10 women, have submitted their papers.TVK founder and Chief Minister Vijay has fielded former AIADMK MLAs K Maragatham Kumaravel from Madurantakam and P Sathyabama from Dharapuram. Both Kumaravel and Sathyabama had won from these constituencies as AIADMK candidates in the April 23 polls before resigning as legislators and later joining the ruling TVK. The DMK has nominated I Paranthaman for Madurantakam and S Suganya for Dharapuram. The AIADMK, which heads the NDA, has announced an all-women line-up, fielding former MLA Kanitha Sampath in Madurantakam and K Bhanumathi in Dharapuram.The CPI(M) and the CPI have said they will contest as an independent Left front, moving away from their traditional electoral alliances and taking on both the DMK and the TVK directly. With nominations now closed and scrutiny set to begin on Thursday, the two by-polls are headed for a closely watched multi-cornered contest. - EndsWith PTI inputsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Sep 16, 2026 22:04 IST