Chennai, September 9 (Daily Kiran) : The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has officially announced its candidates for the by-elections in the Maduranthakam and Dharapuram assembly constituencies, scheduled for October 6. This marks the first electoral test for Tamil Nadu‘s three-month-old TVK government.
DMK President M.K. Stalin has nominated I. Paranthamen, the party spokesperson and joint secretary of its legal wing, to contest from Maduranthakam. Meanwhile, S. Suganya, a newcomer to politics, will represent the party in Dharapuram.
The ruling TVK and the AIADMK have yet to disclose their candidates. Paranthamen previously represented Egmore in the assembly from 2021 to 2026 but was denied a ticket in this year’s state elections. Following the DMK’s significant defeat, he publicly criticized senior party leader P.K. Sekar Babu and called for corrective measures within the leadership. Despite this, Paranthamen has remained loyal to the party, and his selection is viewed as recognition of his ongoing commitment.
Stalin noted that both candidates will run with the support of the Secular Progressive Alliance. However, this coalition has diminished as major allies like Congress, CPI(M), CPI, VCK, and IUML have separated from the DMK to support Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay’s TVK.
The vacancies arose after AIADMK legislators K. Maragatham Kumaravel from Maduranthakam and P. Satyabhama from Dharapuram resigned to join the TVK. There are widespread expectations that the ruling party will field these former MLAs in the by-elections, although official announcements are still pending.
Voting will take place on October 6, with the counting of votes scheduled for October 9. The nomination process began on September 9 and will continue until September 16.
In Maduranthakam, the model code of conduct is already in effect, with a total of 211,295 voters registered, including 103,943 men, 107,288 women, and 64 third-gender voters.
Maduranthakam and Dharapuram are among the seven assembly seats currently vacant in Tamil Nadu. The Election Commission has not yet announced by-elections for Tiruchi East, Ambasamudram, Viralimalai, Perundurai, and Karur due to pending election petitions related to the chosen candidates. A ban on conducting elections in those five constituencies has been extended until September 8.
With the DMK taking swift action, all eyes are now on the TVK and AIADMK as they finalize their candidates for these crucial constituencies, which hold more significance than just these two seats. The results will likely indicate whether the opposition has regained ground after its recent losses in the assembly elections.
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