As CM Vijay completes his first month in office, Tamil Nadu's political spotlight is turning to the 5 by-elections that are expected to be announced by the Election Commission of India. All six seats fell vacant due to CM Vijay vacating one constituency and five AIADMK MLAs resigning to join TVK.
- Tiruchirappalli East (AC#141) — Vacated by CM Vijay (chose Perambur as official seat)
- Madurantakam (AC#35) — Maragatham Kumaravel (AIADMK) resigned May 25, joined TVK
- Ambasamudram (AC#225) — Dr. Esakki Subaya (AIADMK) resigned May 26, joined TVK
- Dharapuram (AC#101) — P. Sathyabama (AIADMK) resigned, joined TVK
- Perundurai (AC#103) — S. Jayakumar (AIADMK) resigned, joined TVK
- Viralimalai (AC#179) — C. Vijayabaskar (AIADMK), former Health Minister, resigned mid-June
Why These By-Elections Matter
The six by-elections will be the first direct electoral test for the Vijay government's performance. If TVK wins all six — as it is widely expected to — the party's total Assembly strength would rise from 107 to 113, out of a total of 234 constituencies.
The Tiruchirappalli East by-election carries special political weight — it was CM Vijay's own seat, where he won with a 27,416-vote margin. At his June 1 rally in Trichy, Vijay personally urged voters to support the TVK candidate, making it a direct personal appeal from the sitting Chief Minister.
AIADMK in Disarray
The four AIADMK resignations have reduced the principal opposition party's strength from 47 to 43 MLAs. With each defection, AIADMK leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami's grip on the party appears to weaken. Political analysts note that if these 4 by-elections are also won by TVK, the AIADMK will have effectively lost 4 seats to the ruling party — deepening the party's post-election crisis.
Expected Timeline
The Election Commission of India is expected to announce the by-election schedule by July 2026 at the latest. The contests could be held alongside the Assembly Budget session or slightly before. TVK has already begun preparations across all six constituencies with district-level campaigns and candidate selection underway.