Ahead of the October 6 by-election in the Madurantakam Assembly constituency, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam leader C. Joseph Vijay campaigned on September 25 for TVK candidate K. Maragatham Kumaravel.

Vijay addressed a public meeting near the Athur toll plaza, close to Madurantakam in Chengalpattu district. Before the event, party organisers announced that entry to the meeting venue would be limited to a specified number of people with QR-code passes to manage the crowd.

Maragatham Kumaravel won the Madurantakam seat for the AIADMK in the 2026 Assembly election with 69,284 votes. According to the Election Commission’s official results, the TVK candidate received 62,090 votes and the DMK candidate 59,838. The by-election followed Maragatham Kumaravel’s resignation as an MLA and her subsequent move to the TVK.

The TVK has fielded Maragatham Kumaravel again in the current by-election, while Kanitha Sampath is contesting for the AIADMK. The AIADMK and other opposition parties have sharply criticised the former AIADMK MLA’s decision to resign, join the ruling party and contest the same seat again. Maragatham Kumaravel and the TVK have rejected those criticisms and explained their political position.

At the September 25 campaign event, Vijay criticised the political actions of the DMK and AIADMK leaderships and sought support for the TVK candidate while highlighting his government’s work. His speech raised issues including the previous DMK administration, public debt, election promises and allegations of corruption. These are political allegations made by Vijay and are presented as his campaign position.

In her speech, Maragatham Kumaravel defended her decision to leave the AIADMK and join the TVK, saying she had made it for the people of Madurantakam. AIADMK general secretary Edappadi Palaniswami, for his part, has made the change of party a central issue in his campaign.

The Madurantakam by-election campaign now centres on party switching, the government’s performance and Tamil Nadu’s current political alignments, alongside local issues. With voting scheduled for October 6, campaigning by the various parties continues to intensify.