Overview
- Nominations for the Madurantakam and Dharapuram bypolls were largely filed and closed Wednesday with returning officers scheduled to scrutinise papers before the withdrawal deadline ahead of the October 6 polling date.
- The Left parties announced P. Suganthi (CPI(M)) for Madurantakam and P. Lakshmanan (CPI) for Dharapuram and said they will actively campaign against TVK candidates rather than align with the Dravidian parties.
- TVK has nominated former AIADMK legislators Maragatham Kumaravel for Madurantakam and P. Sathyabama for Dharapuram, with Kumaravel having vacated Madurantakam after resigning the AIADMK seat earlier this year.
- AIADMK named an all‑women ticket with Kanitha Sampath in Madurantakam and K. Bhanumathi in Dharapuram while NTK and other independents have also entered the race, making both contests five‑corner fights.
- The bypolls will serve as an early gauge of political realignment in Tamil Nadu because they measure the new TVK government's appeal, test the Left's grassroots strength, and could influence how alliances and campaign messages — from welfare appeals to direct attacks on defectors — play out before larger elections.