TVK members celebrate party’s victory in Madurantakam and Dharapuram bypolls (Photo by R Ramesh Shankar )
The Oct 6 bypolls proved that wresting the two seats from the AIADMK was no cakewalk, despite an intensive campaign by chief minister C Joseph Vijay, who took to the skies in a helicopter and the roads to reach voters in the two constituencies. The wins raised TVK’s strength in the Tamil Nadu assembly from 107 to 109, but the margins offered little evidence of the sweeping mandate the party had sought. Yet, the final tally fell short of the expectations set by the party’s second-rung leaders Aadhav Arjuna and K A Sengottaiyan, who had predicted victory margins of up to one lakh votes in Madurantakam and around 75,000 in Dharapuram. READ ALSO: TVK candidates Maragatham Kumaravel, P Sathyabama win Madurantakam and Dharapuram byelections In the April assembly election, TVK polled 61,090 votes in Madurantakam, finishing around 7,000 votes behind the AIADMK despite contesting without allies. The party deployed micro-level campaigning, with functionaries reaching out to small groups of 30 to 50 voters, while attacking Vijay and TVK over the political defections that triggered the bypolls. Having won both constituencies in April, it slipped to third place in the bypolls, reducing its assembly strength from 47 to 45. Earlier reporting noted: CHENNAI: Chief minister C Joseph Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) cleared its first electoral test barely five months after forming a govt in Tamil Nadu, winning two bypolls held on Oct 6. Though Madurantakam and Dharapuram presented different political terrains, the ruling party won both seats by fielding former AIADMK MLAs Maragatham Kumaravel and P Sathyabama, who switched sides barely 20 days after the April 23 Assembly election. Earlier reporting noted: Sathyabama won Dharapuram by a margin of 9,471 votes, while Maragatham secured Madurantakam by 19,241 votes.
“TVK won both seats, but missed a landslide. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Chennai | Silver Rate in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai | Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Petrol Price in Chennai | Diesel Price in Chennai | CNG Price in Chennai | LPG Price in Chennai Stay updated with the latest Chennai news. DMK, which finished third in both constituencies in April, moved up to the second place, while AIADMK, which had won both seats in the April assembly election, slipped to third.
The victory was not impressive,” said political commentator Tharasu Shyam. CHENNAI: Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam’s twin victories in Madurantakam and Dharapuram came as no surprise, but the scale of the wins fell short of the landslide its leadership had promised. Vijay left little to chance during the campaign, travelling through dozens of villages and making unscheduled stops to connect with voters. He rode a bullock cart, drove a tractor, plucked drumsticks and sipped tea with locals at roadside stalls. This time, it entered the fray with the backing of its former allies, VCK, Congress, IUML and MDMK, under the Secular Social Justice Victory Alliance. PMK’s decision not to support any party also worked to TVK’s advantage. A shift in a section of vanniyar votes, along with support from the VCK’s traditional vote base, helped strengthen its position in the multi-cornered contest. These advantages, however, did not translate into the emphatic victories the TVK leadership had projected. Vijay had urged voters to deliver a historic mandate, while Aadhav Arjuna had publicly forecast a one-lakh-vote margin in Madurantakam. Leaders of the alliance partners joined the campaign for TVK candidate Maragatham Kumaravel. The results, while delivering both seats, exposed the gap between the party’s expectations and its actual electoral performance. DMK , though defeated, emerged with a political gain of its own. After finishing third in the April election, it moved to second place in both constituencies, demonstrating its organisational strength against the ruling party and Vijay’s star appeal. DMK candidate I Paranthaman’s suitcase campaign sought to portray TVK’s induction of former AIADMK MLAs as horse-trading, alleging that defectors had switched sides for money. The performance offered DMK an opportunity to assert its position as the principal opposition, both inside and outside the assembly. The party could take some satisfaction from contesting without long-time allies such as VCK and still finishing ahead of AIADMK. AIADMK emerged as the biggest loser. The defeats could embolden rebel factions and encourage TVK to step up efforts to attract AIADMK functionaries and cadres, further weakening the party’s organisation. They also deal a blow to general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami and could give fresh ammunition to rival power centres led by former ministers C Ve Shanmugam and S P Velumani, intensifying pressure on the party leadership. Download the TOI App.
Earlier reporting noted: TN bypolls: Ruling TVK wins first test, but vettri not impressive First test finished: Chief minister C Joseph Vijay and his cabinet colleagues after the victory of TVK candidates in the bypolls on Friday.