Tamil Nadu by-elections: why only two out of seven vacant constituencies go to polls?

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced elections in only two constituencies – Dharapuram and Madurantakam – in Tamil Nadu, even as five other constituencies remain vacant.

Resignation of six AIADMK MLAs

C. Vijayabaskar (Viralimalai), MR Vijayabhaskar (Karur), Esakki Subaya (Ambasamudram), P. Sathyabama (Dharapuram), K. Maragatham Kumaravel (Madurantakam) and S. Jayakumar (Perundurai) won this year’s assembly elections as AIADMK. However, they resigned as MLAs shortly afterwards before joining the ruling TVK. Apart from these constituencies, Tiruchirappalli (East) was vacated by TVK chief and Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, who also won the Perambur Assembly seat.

By-elections are being held only in Madurantakam and Dharapuram, where K. Maragatham Kumaravel and P. Sathyabama were elected as AIADMK MLAs before resigning from the party and subsequently joining the TVK. The ruling party fielded them as its candidates in the polling stations from the respective constituencies.

Madurantakam in northern Tamil Nadu and Dharapuram in the western region will go to polls on October 6 to elect their representatives to the Assembly.

Also Read: West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam and Puducherry by-polls: Constituencies, candidates, result date and more

A total of seven constituencies are without MLAs. Elections must be held within six months of the vacancy, except in exceptional circumstances.

The legal hurdle to holding a by-election to the Perundurai Assembly constituency has ended after an election petition filed by the EC in the Madras High Court regarding the constituency was dismissed on 8 September 2026.

As for the other four constituencies – Tiruchi East, Ambasamudram, Viralimalai and Karur – the EC said the by-elections could not be announced until the election petitions, which contained pleas to declare either the petitioners or other candidates as returned candidates, were decided.

Tiruchi Eastern Survey

Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, who vacated Tiruchi East and retained Perambur after winning both the seats in the Assembly elections, claimed to have resigned even before DMK candidate S. Inigo Irudayaraj filed the election petition. However, the EC said the timing of the resignation was immaterial.

The commission said it did not matter whether the election petition was filed before or after the resignation, as the constituency could face an anomalous situation where it would be represented by two individuals if another candidate was subsequently declared a returned candidate by the election tribunal, the High Court, after the by-election was held.

ECI, Govt differ in polls

Failure to hold by-elections to five Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu for an indefinite period would deprive several thousand people in these constituencies of democratically elected MLAs to represent their interests, causes and grievances, the Chief Minister told the Madras High Court.

He made a submission in a counter-affidavit to a Public Interest Litigation seeking an interim stay on the conduct of by-elections to Tiruchi East, Perundurai, Ambasamudram, Viralimalai and Karur on 10 July 2026.

Claiming that the postponement of the by-election was “neither indefinite nor indiscriminate”, the EC said the stay would end immediately after the Electoral Tribunal disposed of the plea, filed along with the election petition, to declare either the petitioner or another candidate as a returned candidate.

“This has already happened for Perundurai constituency,” the Commission said. He also pointed out that Section 86(7) of the Representation of the People Act 1951 requires that every election petition be dealt with as expeditiously as possible, with an aim to conclude the process within six months.

Published – 04 Oct 2026 08:00 IST