Chennai, Oct 9 (IANS): The ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) won the Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly bypolls, with Maragatham Kumaravel and Sathyabama defeating their respective DMK rivals, prompting celebrations among party workers and strengthening the political position of the Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay-led government in Tamil Nadu.
Maragatham Kumaravel secured Madurantakam by a margin of 17,554 votes, while Sathyabama won Dharapuram by 10,196 votes.
The DMK finished second in both constituencies, followed by the AIADMK.
Ministers described the twin victories as an endorsement of the TVK government’s performance over the past four months.
For the TVK, the outcome provides fresh political momentum after a keenly contested campaign involving the State’s principal parties.
In Madurantakam, Maragatham Kumaravel polled 61,470 votes against DMK candidate Paranthaman’s 43,916.
AIADMK nominee Ganitha Sampath finished third with 38,770 votes. Naam Tamilar Katchi candidate Janakiraman received 1,703 votes, while CPI(M) nominee Sugandhi secured 1,441.
Altogether, 27 candidates contested the seat, where counting was completed in 21 rounds.
Of Madurantakam’s 2,13,788 registered voters, 1,84,413 exercised their franchise, recording a turnout of 86.26 per cent.
The constituency registered a higher turnout than Dharapuram, where just over four-fifths of the electorate voted.
In Dharapuram, Sathyabama secured 62,596 votes, defeating DMK candidate Sukanya, who received 52,400.
AIADMK’s Bhanumathi came third with 41,078 votes. Naam Tamilar Katchi nominee Karthika polled 4,954 votes, while CPI candidate Lakshmanan received 1,099.
A total of 22 candidates were in the fray, and votes were counted over 23 rounds. Dharapuram recorded an 80.30 per cent turnout, with 1,79,314 of its 2,23,306 registered voters casting their ballots.
The bypolls became necessary after the legislators elected on AIADMK tickets resigned from the Assembly and joined TVK.
Their departure opened the two seats to fresh electoral contests and gave the ruling party an opportunity to demonstrate its support.
The campaign featured a five-cornered contest involving the TVK, DMK, AIADMK, the Left parties and Naam Tamilar Katchi.
The stakes generated considerable anticipation, with the results carrying significance for both the government and its opponents.
TVK workers celebrated enthusiastically as the victories were confirmed. The results offer reassurance to the ruling party following an anxious campaign, while leaving the DMK and AIADMK to assess their failure to capture either constituency.
Although confined to two seats, the verdict gives CM Vijay’s administration a political boost and allows TVK to present the victories as evidence of continuing voter confidence.
