DMK retains much of its vote bank despite going it alone, strengthening the position of arch rival TVK

DMK President MK Stalin | Photo credit: Siva Saravanan S.

The result of the by-elections to Madurantakam and Dharapuram reserved assembly constituencies strengthened DMK’s position as the main alternative to the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).

The DMK’s second place in both constituencies suggests that it has retained a large part of its voter base. This is significant given that the party fought without most of its former allies, suggesting that a united alliance could improve its electoral prospects. The exception was the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), which joined the DMK-led alliance ahead of the June parliamentary elections.

In Dharapuram, the DMK’s vote tally fell to 57,370 out of 64,373 in the assembly elections, but the lower voter turnout in the constituency compared to April 2026 should also be taken into account. Additionally, the decline can be attributed to the absence of its former allies, including the Congress, Viduthalai Communist Parties (VCKIUM), Viduthalai Muslim Parties (VCKIUM, KatUM Muslim League).

However, the TVK failed to match the number of votes secured by the AIADMK in the general elections, despite the defection of a former AIADMK legislator and the shift of former DMK allies to the ruling party. P. Sathyabama, who won the seat as an AIADMK candidate in the Assembly elections, securing 81,100 votes. In the election on the TVK ticket, she got 66,841 votes, indicating that she was unable to retain the entire AIADMK voter base (even after adjusting for lower voter turnout).

In Madurantakam, AIADMK candidate Maragatham Kumaravel, who contested the by-election on a TVK ticket, got 74,048 votes, more than 5,000 more than her tally in the assembly elections. This was despite TVK candidate Ezhil Katherine getting 62,090 votes in the assembly elections. Regardless of this increase, the result raises questions about how much of Ms Kumaravel’s AIADMK voter base remained after her defection to the TVK.

DMK’s vote tally also fell. I. Paranthaman, a known party face but an outsider in the constituency, polled 54,008 votes against 59,838 polled by party candidate S. Amulu Ponmalar in the Assembly elections. The decline can be partly attributed to the absence of allies such as the VCK, which has a significant presence in the constituency. The Pattali Makkal Katchi’s (PMK) decision to remain neutral in the election may have divided its Vanniyar support base. The party contested the assembly elections in the company of AIADMK.

DMK chief MK Stalin said the combined votes polled by the parties that fought against the ruling TVK showed that the government had been rejected by a majority of voters.

A senior DMK leader and former minister described the result in Dharapuram as an “honorable defeat”, pointing out that the constituency is in the Congo region, considered an AIADMK stronghold, and that former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami remained a prominent political figure in the area.

“In Madurantakam too, we have retained our vote bank even though our allies have changed camp. We have to focus on the youth voter section who have liked TVK and the on-screen charisma of Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay. We will develop a strategy to overcome the shortcomings,” he added.

Published – 9 Oct 2026 22:49 IST