Tamil Nadu By-Elections 2026: Four-Way Contest in Madurantakam and Dharapuram
Tamil Nadu’s 2026 by-elections in Madurantakam and Dharapuram will see a multi-cornered contest involving DMK, TVK, AIADMK and Naam Tamilar Katchi on October 6.
Prasanth Subramani 
Tamil Nadu is set to witness a multi-cornered contest in the Madurantakam (Reserved) and Dharapuram (Reserved) Assembly constituencies, where by-elections are scheduled to be held on October 6, 2026. Votes in both constituencies will be counted on October 9, 2026, with the election results expected to be announced on the same day.
In Madurantakam, I. Parandhaman is contesting on behalf of the DMK, K. Maragatham Kumaravel is the TVK candidate, and Kanitha Sampath has been fielded by the AIADMK. In Dharapuram, S. Suganya is contesting for the DMK, P. Sathyabama is the TVK candidate, and K. Bhanumathi is contesting on behalf of the AIADMK.
Maragatham Kumaravel and P. Sathyabama had previously won the respective constituencies as AIADMK candidates in the 2026 Assembly election. They later resigned from their MLA posts and joined TVK, following which Madurantakam and Dharapuram were declared vacant, leading to the by-elections.
The AIADMK officially announced its candidates for both constituencies on September 10, 2026. Former MLA Kanitha Sampath was named the party's candidate for Madurantakam, while K. Bhanumathi was announced as the AIADMK candidate for Dharapuram. This marks a change from the earlier situation when the party had not yet officially announced its candidates.
The by-elections have now turned into a multi-party contest involving the DMK, TVK, AIADMK and Naam Tamilar Katchi. The contest has gained particular political significance as the AIADMK has fielded new candidates against former AIADMK MLAs who are now contesting under the TVK banner.
Polling for both constituencies will take place on October 6, 2026, while vote counting and the announcement of election results are scheduled for October 9, 2026.
