No surprises in byelection results in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry as voters favour the ruling party candidates

Time to celebrate: TVK workers celebrate the lead established by party candidate Maragatham Kumaravel in the Madurantakam byelection of which results came out on Friday (October 9, 2026). | Photo Credit: B. VELANKANNI RAJ

The ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), which came to power in Tamil Nadu exactly five months ago, passed its first electoral test in Tamil Nadu on Friday (October 9, 2026), bagging the Madurantakam and Dharapuram (Reserved) Assembly constituencies. In Puducherry, the ruling All India N.R. Congress (AINRC) retained Thattanchavady.

Both in Madurantakam and Dharapuram, TVK nominees Maragatham Kumaravel and P. Sathyabama were elected with comfortable margins of 20,040 votes and 9,471 votes respectively. They won from these constituencies in April-May 2026 as AIADMK candidates and then defected to the ruling party after resigning as MLAs.

AIADMK placed third

This time, they defeated the nearest rivals, I. Paranthamen and S. Suganya, both of the DMK. S. Kanitha Sampath and K. Banumathi of the AIADMK finished third.