Campaigning ended at 6 PM on 4 October; polling on 6 October from 7 AM to 6 PM under heavy security, the TVK government’s first electoral test. Counting on 9 October.
Campaigning for the Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly by-elections ended at 6 PM on Sunday, October 4. Voters go to the polls on Tuesday, October 6, from 7 AM to 6 PM — the first electoral test for Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay’s government since it took office four months ago (ANI).
| Arrangement | Details |
|---|---|
| Polling hours | 7 AM to 6 PM on Tuesday, October 6 |
| Security | Heavy security in both constituencies |
| Campaign silence | Election Commission ban on public meetings and campaigning until 6 AM on polling day |
| Outsiders | Ordered to leave both constituencies |
| EVMs | Dispatched to polling stations from Monday morning, with power, water and security arrangements in place |
In an unusual step for a sitting Chief Minister, Vijay campaigned in person across four days (ANI) — a public meeting and road show in Madurantakam, a public meeting in Dharapuram on September 30, and a 40-km road show in Dharapuram with TVK candidate P. Sathyabama on the final day, where he took a short bullock-cart ride.
Both seats fell vacant when the sitting MLAs — K. Maragatham Kumaravel (Madurantakam) and P. Sathyabama (Dharapuram), elected for the AIADMK in May — resigned and joined TVK; both are now TVK’s candidates. ANI describes the race as a five-cornered contest: the CPI and CPI(M), which support the TVK government, are fielding their own candidates — CPI(M)’s Suganthi in Madurantakam and CPI’s Lakshmanan in Dharapuram.
The result will be the first verdict from voters since the April 23 election that brought TVK to power, and comes ahead of by-elections due in five more vacant seats, including Tiruchirappalli East, which Vijay vacated to keep Perambur (The News Mill).
Sources: ANI (via LatestLY, Webindia123), The News Mill.
By-Election Madurantakam Dharapuram Day 148