Published Oct 09, 2026 | 10:09 AM ⚊ Updated Oct 09, 2026 | 10:48 AM
Resignation of MLAs necessitated the by-elections.
Counting is underway in the Madurantakam (SC) and Dharapuram Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu on Friday, 9 October.
Early trends show AIADMK candidate K Bhanumathi leading her nearest rival, TVK candidate P Sathyabama, by a slender margin of 592 votes. Bhanumathi has won 5,573 votes, while Sathyabama has secured 4,981 votes after two rounds of counting.
In Madurantakam, TVK candidate K Maragatham Kumaravel is leading with 3,571 votes, followed by DMK candidate I Paranthamen with 2,611 votes. AIADMK candidate S Kanitha Sampath is in third place with 2,078 votes. Maragatham Kumaravel is ahead of Paranthamen by 960 votes after the first round.
The by-elections are being closely watched as an early electoral test for Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay’s TVK government, which came to power in May. Madurantakam recorded a voter turnout of 86.26%, while Dharapuram registered 80.30%.
The by-elections were necessitated after AIADMK MLAs K Maragatham Kumaravel and P Sathyabama resigned from their Assembly seats on May 25 and joined TVK. Both had won their respective constituencies for the AIADMK in the 2026 Assembly election, but their resignations made fresh elections necessary. By contesting the seats under its own banner, TVK seeks to consolidate its position, while the DMK and AIADMK try to win them.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
