On 2 Oct 2026 CM Vijay toured nearly 40 villages in Madurantakam for TVK’s Maragatham Kumaravel — tea at a village shop in L. Enathur, a tractor ride at Ramapuram and door-to-door visits.
Chief Minister and TVK president C. Joseph Vijay took his by-election campaign deep into Madurantakam on Friday, October 2, 2026, with a road show of about four and a half hours through nearly 40 villages and neighbourhoods, seeking votes for TVK candidate K. Maragatham Kumaravel. Along the way he stopped for tea at a village shop, drove a farmer’s tractor through a paddy field and met voters at their homes. It was his second and final campaign visit to the constituency before the October 6 poll.
Earlier that morning, the Chief Minister launched the Vettri Payanam free bus travel scheme at Koyambedu in Chennai before leaving for Madurantakam. The road show began at Mamandur on GST Road at about 2.30 pm, with Vijay standing in his campaign vehicle alongside Maragatham Kumaravel (DT Next, ChennaiVision).
| Stretch | Places covered |
|---|---|
| Start | Mamandur, GST Road (about 2.30 pm) |
| Along the way | Karunguzhi, Ayyanar Temple Junction, Mocheri, Thandalam, Perumbakkam, Sempoondi, Elapakkam, Kil Athipakkam, Melmaruvathur Adhiparasakthi Temple Junction |
| Finish | Therady Street, Madurantakam |
DT Next counted nearly 39 stopping points across more than 30 villages and semi-urban neighbourhoods; ChennaiVision put it at nearly 40 villages. Reports put the distance covered at about 45 km. TVK workers staged cultural programmes and dance performances at several points while people waited for the convoy.
At a small tea shop in L. Enathur, the Chief Minister stepped out of his vehicle, stopped for tea and chatted with elderly residents of the village (DT Next). The unscheduled stop was one of the most widely shared moments of the day.
At Ramapuram, as the convoy passed farmland, the Chief Minister — in a white shirt and dhoti — got down, walked into the field and spoke to a farmer operating a tractor. He then took the wheel himself and drove the tractor through the slushy paddy field for a few minutes, before bringing it out onto the main road to cheers from the waiting villagers. He thanked the farmer for letting him drive it (The Hans India, DT Next).
Beyond the road show, Vijay visited houses, met women voters and interacted with differently-abled persons along the route (UNI, News Today). Supporters showered flowers, waved TVK flags and handed him gifts and letters; at Melavalampettai, they presented him with a spear, a sceptre and a bronze statue of Lord Murugan (ChennaiVision). Large crowds gathered along GST Road from the morning despite the heat.
Madurantakam (SC) goes to the polls on October 6, with counting on October 9. Maragatham Kumaravel won the seat in May with 69,284 votes, resigned on May 25 and joined TVK. Campaigning ends at 6 pm on October 4.
Sources: DT Next, The Hans India, UNI, ChennaiVision, News Today, Zoom News.
By-Election Madurantakam Day 145