Chennai, October 9 (Daily Kiran) : The counting of votes for the by-elections in Maduranthakam and Dharapuram, Tamil Nadu, commenced on October 9, with the ruling Tamil Ga Vetrik Katchi (TVK) establishing an early lead. Initial trends from postal ballots indicated that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) was in second place, while the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) was positioned third.
Counting started at 8 AM, focusing first on postal ballots before moving on to the electronic voting machines (EVMs). The situation is expected to become clearer as the counting of EVM votes progresses. The strongroom containing the voting machines was opened in the presence of district election officials, collectors, returning officers, election observers, and candidates’ agents.
In Maduranthakam, 14 tables have been set up for counting EVM votes across 21 rounds, while two tables are designated for postal ballots. Additionally, voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) slips will be counted separately for verification. A significant police presence has been deployed at the counting center. Both constituencies are reserved for Scheduled Castes.
Maduranthakam is located in Chengalpattu district and is part of the Kanchipuram parliamentary constituency, whereas Dharapuram is situated in the Tiruppur district of western Tamil Nadu.
These by-elections were prompted by the resignations of K. Maragatham Kumaravel and P. Satyabhama, who won their respective seats under AIADMK tickets in the earlier assembly elections and later switched to TVK.
In the previous elections, Kumaravel defeated the TVK candidate in Maduranthakam by 7,194 votes. Satyabhama won in Dharapuram, beating her nearest DMK rival by 16,727 votes. Their party switch has made both constituencies focal points for loyalty and electoral support battles.
TVK has fielded these two former MLAs from their original constituencies. AIADMK has nominated Kanitha Sampath from Maduranthakam and Bhanumathi from Dharapuram to retain control of these seats.
Voting took place on October 6, following an intense campaign by both the ruling party and opposition leaders.
These elections serve as an early test for Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay’s government. TVK secured 108 seats in the last assembly elections, falling short of the 118 needed for a clear majority in the 234-member assembly. A win in these by-elections would strengthen the ruling party’s legislative position and bolster its claims of public support.
For the DMK and AIADMK, these results present an opportunity to demonstrate their electoral strength against the new government. However, the final outcomes in any constituency cannot be determined solely based on the early postal ballot trends.
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