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TVK candidates P Sathyabama and Maragatham Kumaravel won the Dharapuram and Madurantakam bypolls, defeating DMK rivals by 9,471 and 17,305 votes respectively.
File photo of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay. (PTI_
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay has cleared his first electoral test since taking office, with his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) winning the Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly bypolls on Friday. The victories come at a time when Vijay’s political ambitions are being discussed beyond Tamil Nadu, amid a tussle within the Opposition over who should be projected as its prime ministerial face for the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
The results offer an early opportunity for Vijay to consolidate his position as Chief Minister while his party navigates its place in the INDIA bloc. Sections of TVK have been promoting Vijay as a potential prime ministerial contender, while Congress leaders have insisted that Rahul Gandhi should lead the Opposition in the next general election.
The bypoll victories do not resolve that question, but they give TVK a fresh electoral result as it seeks to establish its standing both within Tamil Nadu and in the wider Opposition alliance.
TVK candidate P Sathyabama won the Dharapuram bypoll by 9,471 votes, defeating DMK candidate S Suganya. In Madurantakam, Maragatham Kumaravel defeated the DMK’s I Paranthamen by 17,305 votes, with the AIADMK finishing third. Both candidates had won the constituencies as AIADMK legislators in the April Assembly election before resigning and joining TVK. Their victories under Vijay’s party banner offer an early indication of the electoral viability of that shift.
Why The Bypolls Matter For Vijay
The contests carried added significance because Vijay personally campaigned in the two constituencies. The victories allow TVK to demonstrate that it can retain seats after changes in party allegiance and that its electoral appeal has continued beyond the Assembly election.
For Vijay, the results also come at a time when his party is attempting to establish itself as a force beyond state politics. Having formed the government with 108 Assembly seats, short of the 118 required for a majority, TVK has had to rely on support from allies, including Congress, VCK and IUML.
At A Glance
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) won the Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly bypolls.
TVK candidate P Sathyabama won the Dharapuram bypoll by 9,471 votes.
In Madurantakam, Maragatham Kumaravel defeated the DMK’s I Paranthamen by 17,305 votes.
TVK formed the government with 108 Assembly seats, short of the 118 required for a majority.
TVK formally joined the INDIA bloc earlier this month.
The bypolls provide an early test of the party’s ability to consolidate its position after taking office. They also give Vijay an opportunity to reinforce his leadership credentials at a time when questions over his national ambitions are attracting attention.
How The PM-Face Row Could Help Vijay
With the 2029 Lok Sabha elections on the horizon, the question of who should lead the Opposition as its prime ministerial face has triggered a disagreement between Congress and sections of TVK.
The debate intensified after TVK supporters began promoting Vijay as a potential prime ministerial candidate. Congress general secretary K C Venugopal subsequently said Rahul Gandhi would be the face of the INDIA alliance in 2029. “Nobody should create any such confusion. Rahul Gandhi will be the face of the INDIA alliance,” Venugopal said in September.
The disagreement presents TVK with an opportunity to expand Vijay’s political profile beyond Tamil Nadu. Every public discussion of whether Vijay could play a national role adds to his visibility beyond the state, even as the party weighs the risks of straining its relationship with Congress.
The bypoll victories give that discussion a fresh political backdrop. TVK can point to its performance in the two constituencies as evidence of its ability to contest elections under Vijay’s leadership, while avoiding any claim that the results settle the question of who should lead the Opposition nationally.
The “Vijay for PM” campaign among sections of TVK supporters also seeks to introduce him to voters beyond Tamil Nadu. The controversy could help sustain that effort by keeping his national ambitions in public discussion.
TVK Can Now Demand Equal Footing
Congress leaders have argued that alliance partners must openly accept Rahul Gandhi as the Opposition’s prime ministerial face.
K Selvaperunthagai, former Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president, said last month that parties unwilling to accept Rahul Gandhi’s leadership should reconsider their place in the alliance.
“If Rahul Gandhi is the PM, alliance partners should accept that. If not, what is the point of being in this alliance? It is only honest to have an alliance with those who openly and sincerely accept Rahul as the prime minister,” Selvaperunthagai said.
TVK, however, can argue that the leader of a post-election coalition should be decided according to the number of Lok Sabha seats won by its partners, rather than through a decision imposed in advance by the largest party.
Such a position would allow Vijay’s party to resist an early commitment to Rahul Gandhi while seeking recognition as an equal partner. The bypoll victories provide TVK with another result to cite as it seeks to establish its political standing, although the two Assembly seats do not directly determine its bargaining position in the national alliance.
Congress Under Pressure?
TVK emerged from the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly election as the ruling party, ending the state’s long-standing DMK-AIADMK duopoly. Congress, meanwhile, has entered into an arrangement with Vijay’s party in Tamil Nadu, giving the relationship significance for both sides.
The political calculation for TVK is that Congress needs its organisational strength and voter base in the state, while TVK could benefit from the national party’s alliance network. This could give Vijay’s party room to negotiate and resist pressure to endorse Rahul Gandhi before the next general election.
The bypolls add another element to that calculation. By retaining both seats through candidates who had crossed over from AIADMK, TVK has demonstrated that it can compete under its own banner. However, the results alone do not establish the extent to which the party can influence Congress’s national strategy.
Why TVK May Avoid Declaring A PM Candidate
TVK does not necessarily need to formally project Vijay as its prime ministerial candidate to benefit from the controversy. Maintaining ambiguity could be more useful.
The party can acknowledge Vijay’s national potential, argue that the prime minister should emerge from the composition of the Lok Sabha after the election, and avoid publicly humiliating Rahul Gandhi.
Congress MP Karti Chidambaram has also framed the question in terms of parliamentary numbers, noting that parties may project their leaders but the prime minister ultimately emerges from the numbers in Parliament.
Such an approach would allow TVK to preserve its relationship with Congress for electoral calculations while signalling to Tamil Nadu voters that Vijay is not a junior partner. It would also enable the party to keep open a discussion about Tamil and southern leadership in the 2029 national contest without formally challenging Rahul Gandhi.
TVK’s Entry Into INDIA Bloc Adds A New Dimension
TVK formally joined the INDIA bloc earlier this month, marking a shift in the party’s national political positioning. On October 3, TVK representatives Aadhav Arjuna and Marie Wilson attended a meeting of the alliance’s Tamil Nadu constituents at the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee headquarters in Chennai.
Tamil Nadu Congress chief Manickam Tagore described the development as a “historic day”. The meeting discussed opposition to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the role of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The parties announced protests across Tamil Nadu on October 13 and 14, followed by a larger demonstration in Chennai on October 15.
TVK’s entry into the alliance comes against the backdrop of its government formation with support from Congress and other parties. It also places Vijay within an Opposition grouping where questions of leadership and the distribution of political influence could become increasingly important ahead of 2029.
The development raises questions about the future of the DMK’s relationship with the INDIA bloc, particularly after Congress backed TVK in Tamil Nadu. Vijay’s participation in the national Opposition alliance’s future activities remains a separate question from the debate over who should lead it.
Quick Answers
Ask News18Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) won both the Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly bypolls. In Dharapuram, TVK candidate P Sathyabama defeated DMK’s S Suganya by 9,471 votes, while Maragatham Kumaravel won the Madurantakam seat by defeating DMK’s I Paranthamen by 17,305 votes.
Ask News18About the Author
Shuddhanta Patra is an Indian journalist with about nine years of experience in covering national politics, geopolitics, defence, diplomacy and international affairs. Her reporting focuses on South As…Read More
October 09, 2026, 19:54 IST
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