Tamil Nadu bypolls: Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly constituency profiles, candidates, key facts
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Madurantakam constituency. File | Photo Credit: Johan Sathyadas J
Tamil Nadu is heading for byelections in two Assembly constituencies, Madurantakam and Dharapuram, on October 6, 2026. Both contests are shaping up as five-cornered contests between the DMK, AIADMK, NTK, Left front and the ruling TVK.
The byelections in the two reserved Assembly constituencies were necessitated following the resignations of former AIADMK MLAs Maragatham Kumaravel (Madurantakam) and P. Sathyabama (Dharapuram) on May 25, 2026, shortly before they joined the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) the same day. Both women had won the seats after contesting on the AIADMK’s ‘Two Leaves’ symbol in the April 23 Assembly election in Tamil Nadu.
Both are reserved for Scheduled Castes and are going to the bypolls for the first time. Counting will be held on October 9.
DMK party’s legal wing deputy secretary I. Paranthamen, who previously served as the Egmore constituency MLA during 2021-26, has now been fielded in Madurantakam (Chengalpattu district).
Meanwhile, the AIADMK named former legislator Kanitha Sampath as its candidate, according to the party’s general secretary, Edappadi K. Palaniswami’s announcement. Joining the fray, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) announced P. Suganthi as the Left Front candidate for the Madurantakam Assembly bypoll.
TVK leader and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay announced Maragatham Kumaravel as the TVK candidate for the Madurantakam Assembly constituency byelection. The vacancy in Madurantakam was caused by her resignation after she was elected on an AIADMK ticket in the 2026 Assembly election. Meanwhile, Seeman’s Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) fielded Janakiraman, making it a five-cornered contest.
Located in the Kancheepuram district of Tamil Nadu, the Madurantakam constituency has a sizeable Scheduled Caste population. Two per cent of its residents are tribals, particularly the Irulas, a vulnerable tribal group known for their extensive knowledge of snakes. Politically, this constituency is notable for having been won nearly equally by both of the Dravidian giants.
Located just 100 km from Chennai, Madurantakam is primarily an agrarian region where rice is the main crop, while some farmers in the Vaiyavoor area grow vegetables.
Over the years, the constituency went vacant twice, but no byelections were held due to the lack of time before the general elections.
In September 1966, former Minister B. Parameswaran, who was the grandson of Rettamalai Srinivasan and former Mayor of Chennai, died. He represented Madurantakam in the third Assembly (1962-67). Five months after his death, the State had the general election.
TVK candidate P. Sathyabama, who won the Dharapuram Assembly constituency on an AIADMK ticket in the 2026 Assembly elections, resigned and joined the TVK. She filed her nomination papers on September 16.
AIADMK candidate K. Bhanumathi and NTK candidate M. Karthika also filed their nominations on September 16. DMK candidate is S. Suganya, while several Independent candidates have also entered the fray.
Additionally, the Communist Party of India (CPI) announced P. Lakshmanan as the Left Front candidate for the Dharapuram Assembly bypoll.
Dharapuram is a reserved constituency in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruppur district. The byelection was necessitated after P. Sathyabama, who won the constituency on an AIADMK ticket, resigned as MLA. Scheduled Castes constitute about a quarter of the constituency’s population, while rural voters account for nearly 60%.
A view of Amaravathy river at Dharapuram in Tiruppur district. File | Photo Credit: The Hindu
The constituency receives relatively low rainfall from both the Southwest and Northeast monsoons, leading to the overexploitation of groundwater in several areas. The Amaravathi River, which runs through the constituency, has also been affected by pollution due to the discharge of wastewater by the Dharapuram Municipality and other local bodies.
In the 2021 Assembly election, DMK candidate and State Minister Kayalvizhi N. Selvaraj defeated her nearest rival, the BJP’s L. Murugan, by a slender margin of 1,393 votes, fewer than the 1,904 votes polled by NOTA.
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