As counting progresses in Tamil Nadu's Madurantakam and Dharapuram, both SC reserved seats, early trends hint at a slight edge for Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s TVK. While the party has a clear lead in Madurantakam, it's a neck-and-neck fight in Dharapuram.
In Madurantakam, the TVK has fielded Maragatham Kumaravel, a former AIADMK leader. Kumaravel had won the seat for AIADMK in the recently concluded elections before jumping ship to the TVK. A stronghold of AIADMK, Vijay pinned his hopes on Kumaravel’s popularity before deciding to field her again.
Two hours since the counting began, Maragatham Kumaravel has over 7,000 votes while DMK's I Paranthamen is behind her with 6,000 votes. Interestingly, AIADMK's Kanitha Sampath is in the third position.
However, the TVK’s tactic seems to have backfired in Dharapuram, where the party is facing stiff competition. As of 10 am, AIADMK candidate Banumathi got 6,450 votes in Dharapuram while TVK candidate Sathyabhama got 6,384. DMK candidate got 4,000+ votes. Dharapuram is known as an AIADMK stronghold.
Though the results will not have any repercussions for the government, the elections are being considered the Vijay-led minority TVK regime's first electoral litmus test. A win is important as it needs numbers to get close to the majority mark in the Assembly.
The outcome of bypolls is crucial for the main opposition DMK too, as this is the first time the McK Stalin-led party has faced the polls, after a long time, without the backing of erstwhile allies including the Congress, VCK, and Left parties.
