🗳 Tamil Nadu By-Elections — October 6, 2026 · Madurantakam & Dharapuram · TVK’s First Electoral Test

The Election Commission of India on Monday, September 7, announced by-elections to two Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly constituencies — Madurantakam (AC No. 35, SC reserved, Chengalpattu district) and Dharapuram (AC No. 101, SC reserved) — with polling on October 6 and counting on October 9, 2026. The Model Code of Conduct came into force immediately upon the announcement.

The Schedule

Event	Date
Gazette Notification / Nomination begins	September 9, 2026
Last date for filing nominations	September 16, 2026
Scrutiny of nominations	September 17, 2026
Last date for withdrawal of candidature	September 19, 2026
Polling	October 6, 2026
Counting of votes	October 9, 2026
Election process to be completed by	October 11, 2026

Why These Two Seats Are Vacant

Both constituencies fell vacant through the same political process — AIADMK legislators who won in the 2026 Assembly elections resigned from the House and crossed over to TVK:

Constituency	Former MLA	Party	Why Vacant
Madurantakam (AC 35, SC)	Maragatham Kumaravel	AIADMK → TVK	Resigned from Assembly membership after joining TVK
Dharapuram (AC 101, SC)	P. Sathyabama	AIADMK → TVK	Resigned from Assembly membership after joining TVK

Both former MLAs are expected to be fielded as TVK candidates in the by-elections from their respective constituencies, though TVK has not formally announced candidates yet.

The 5 Seats Not Included — And Why

There are seven vacancies in the Tamil Nadu Assembly. By-elections have been announced only for two. The other five — Tiruchi East, Ambasamudram, Viralimalai, Perundurai and Karur — are under court-imposed restraints because election-related cases concerning the returned candidates in those constituencies remain pending before the courts. The restraint order in those five constituencies has been extended to September 8, 2026.

Political Stakes — TVK's First Electoral Test

These by-elections carry outsized significance beyond the two seats themselves. They will be TVK's first electoral contest since forming the government in May 2026, and the results will be read as a verdict on the government's first five months in office.

The political context makes the test sharper:

• TVK is defending seats its own defectors vacated — a loss would signal that the AIADMK vote that came with Maragatham and Sathyabama was personal, not transferable to TVK
• The September 9 allies meeting (held the same week) will shape whether TVK contests alone or with coalition backing
• The CPI has been protesting rising prices, CPI(M) has differed with the state government on issues — internal coalition tensions are live ahead of the vote
• Model Code of Conduct is in force immediately in both constituencies — limiting what the government can announce for those areas
• A win in both seats would give TVK a modest numerical boost in the Assembly and demonstrate that the government's approval ratings remain intact

By-Elections Madurantakam Dharapuram October 6 2026 September 7, 2026