Tamil Nadu Bypolls: TVK Leads in Madurantakam, Dharapuram as Vote Counting Begins

Counting began at 8 a.m., with election officials taking up postal ballots before proceeding to votes recorded in electronic voting machines (EVMs). The initial trends remain provisional, with subsequent rounds of EVM counting expected to provide a clearer indication of the electoral outcome.

District election officials, collectors, returning officers, election observers, and representatives of the candidates opened the strongrooms containing the EVMs.

In Madurantakam, officials have arranged to count EVM votes across 14 tables over 21 rounds, with two additional tables allocated for postal ballots. Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips will also be counted separately as part of the verification process.

Security has been tightened at the counting centres, with police personnel deployed to maintain order. Both Madurantakam and Dharapuram are reserved constituencies for Scheduled Caste candidates.

Madurantakam, located in Chengalpattu district, falls under the Kancheepuram Lok Sabha constituency. Dharapuram is situated in Tiruppur district in western Tamil Nadu.

The bypolls became necessary after K. Maragatham Kumaravel and P. Sathyabama resigned from their Assembly seats after leaving the AIADMK and joining the TVK. Both had won their respective constituencies on AIADMK tickets in the earlier Assembly election.

Kumaravel defeated the TVK candidate in Madurantakam by 7,194 votes, while Sathyabama secured Dharapuram by 16,727 votes over her nearest DMK rival.

Their subsequent switch to TVK has made the two constituencies important electoral battlegrounds, with the contest testing voter support for the candidates under their new political affiliation.

TVK fielded both former AIADMK legislators in their respective constituencies. The AIADMK, meanwhile, nominated Kanitha Sampath in Madurantakam and Bhanumathi in Dharapuram to retain the seats.

Polling took place on October 6 following an intensive campaign by the ruling party and Opposition leaders.

The results are being closely watched as an early electoral test for Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay's government. TVK secured 108 seats in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly in the earlier election, falling short of the 118 seats required for an outright majority.

A victory in either or both constituencies would provide a political boost to TVK, while the DMK and AIADMK will be looking to demonstrate their electoral support against the ruling party.

However, the initial postal ballot trends do not determine the final outcome, which will depend on the results of the remaining counting rounds.