Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) founder C Joseph Vijay will be campaigning in Dharapuram on Wednesday as the party gears up for the October 6 Assembly bypoll.
The campaign comes in a constituency which has been associated with AIADMK and is being closely watched because the seat has come under the control of AIADMK since the resignation of its earlier MLA and subsequent political change.
Vijay's Dharapuram campaign will take place at the beginning of a busy political campaign in which TVK, AIADMK, DMK, CPI, NTK and other candidates are also contesting. There are two dozen candidates in the Dharapuram (SC) constituency and 17 Independents on stage and polling begins on October 6 and counting is on Oct 9.
TVK has also selected the former AIADMK MLA P Sathyabama in Dharapuram. Sathyabama won the constituency on an AIADMK ticket in 2026 Assembly elections, but then resigned and joined Vijay's party. The bypoll was then called due to her resignation. TVK also has a former AIADMK MLA K Maragatham Kumaravel in Madurantakam, who too resigned and the bypoll was called.
Vijay Targets Dharapuram Campaign
Vijay’s visit to Dharapuram is important for the TVK as it is an attempt by the party to build its support base in western Tamil Nadu. The constituency is located in Tiruppur district and is one of the two Assembly seats going to bypolls on October 6.
The TVK chief has in the past tried to position his party in the political space that is closely associated with the welfare-oriented legacy of former AIADMK leaders M G Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa. His campaign in Dharapuram is therefore of great political significance as the AIADMK is contesting to retain support in a constituency it won in the 2026 Assembly election.
The TVK has also been promoting its welfare and governance agenda during the campaign. Party leaders have described the Dharapuram and Madurantakam contests as important tests for the ruling party after its candidates resigned from the AIADMK and joined the TVK.
VIDEO | Tamil Nadu CM C Joseph Vijay heads to Dharapuram to campaign for assembly bypoll.#CMJosephVijay #TamilNaduNews #DharapuramBypoll
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 30, 2026
(Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/d8jp61yd2p) pic.twitter.com/sAZG1vKgdy
AIADMK, DMK also Intensify Campaigning
The Dharapuram contest has seen campaigning by most major political parties. AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami has campaigned in the constituency for the party’s candidate K Bhanumathi and is looking to regain the seat.
DMK has also stepped up its campaign. Udhayanidhi Stalin, the Leader of the Opposition, recently campaigned for DMK candidate S Suganya in Dharapuram and attacked the TVK candidate over her decision to leave AIADMK and join Vijay's party. The comments were part of a larger political debate between the parties ahead of the bypoll.
The DMK leadership also plans to campaign in Dharapuram as well. Party president M K Stalin will be campaigning in the constituency on October 2. The New Indian Express reports that the party is planning to respond to Vijay's campaign directly.
The competing campaigns have made Dharapuram one of the most closely watched constituencies ahead of the October 6 vote.
Tight security and QR-Code entry
Vijay’s campaign event has been well organised. The TVK has restricted entry to people holding QR-code passes, and the party used a similar system for Vijay’s campaign meetings. The arrangement is intended to control the crowd and coordinate entry into the venue.
Police have also been deployed to provide security and crowd control. TVK supporters were already gathering ahead of the event and there would be a large number of young people participating.
The party has advised pregnant women, children, school students, senior citizens, differently-abled people and those with underlying health conditions to avoid attending the rally. Drinking-water arrangements and medical teams have also been planned at the venue.
Vijay is expected to reach Dharapuram via road from Coimbatore and address supporters at Chitravuthanpalayam in the constituency.
Dharapuram Bypoll Background
The Dharapuram and Madurantakam bypolls are the result of the resignation of two MLAs who had originally won the seats for AIADMK in the 2026 Assembly election before joining the TVK. Both of these are reserved for Scheduled Caste candidates.
But the Madras High Court recently dismissed a petition to stop the October 6 bypolls and continued the electoral process. The court held that to prevent newly elected MLAs from resigning and then contesting bypolls would be legislative rather than judicial action.
With polling day in sight, campaigning is expected to escalate further. The TVK, AIADMK and DMK are competing for support in Dharapuram at this point in time and so will the SC-reserved constituency.
Vijay’s campaign is therefore an important part of the TVK’s campaign to defend its political position in the constituency. The October 6 vote will decide who represents Dharapuram in the Tamil Nadu Assembly after Sathyabama’s resignation and subsequent political shift.
