Tamil Nadu local polls: TVK fields former AIADMK MLA in Madurantakam, Dharapuram

(from left) Maragatham Kumaravel and P. Sathyabama | Photo credit: Special arrangement

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) President and Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Thursday (September 10, 2026) announced Maragatham Kumaravel and P. Sathyabama as candidates for Madurantakam and Dharapuram assembly elections, respectively, scheduled for October 6.

Both Ms. Kumaravel and Ms. Sathyabama contested the 2026 assembly elections from Madurantakam and Dharapuram as AIADMK candidates. They won the election but resigned as MLAs within days and subsequently joined the ruling TVK. Their resignation prompted election polls on October 6.

Ms Kumaravel, 44, won the Madurantakam seat as an AIADMK candidate in both 2021 and 2026, despite a DMK wave in 2021 and a TVK wave in 2026 in the Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, Chennai and Chengalpattu (KTCC) zone. She previously served as Member of Parliament representing Kancheepuram Lok Sabha constituency from 2014 to 2019.

The 2026 election was the first time that 51-year-old Ms. Sathyabama was elected to the Dharapuram Assembly.

They will now fight the by-elections with the support of the Congress, VCK, IUML and MDMK, which were earlier part of the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance in the 2026 assembly elections and are now constituents of the newly formed TVK-led Secular Social Justice Winning Alliance.

AIADMK candidates

The AIADMK has named former legislator Kanith Sampath as its candidate for Madurantakam and K. Bhanumathi for Dharapuram, according to an announcement by party general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami.

Published – 10 Sep 2026 11:27 IST