CHENNAI: Two bypoll defeats have reopened questions over Edappadi K Palaniswami’s leadership of the AIADMK, with the party finishing third in Maduranthakam and Dharapuram, constituencies it won in the 2026 Assembly elections. The results have handed fresh ammunition to dissenting leaders and could embolden more legislators to quit the party.
The AIADMK’s inability to retain either seat, and its relegation to third place in both contests, has added to its electoral setbacks. The loss in Dharapuram is particularly significant, as the constituency was considered relatively favourable to the party before the bypoll.
The results could intensify demands for organisational changes and a reassessment of the party’s leadership. The Velumani and Shanmugam camps have argued that leaders who left the AIADMK, including TTV Dhinakaran and V K Sasikala, should be brought back to strengthen the party. They have also urged Palaniswami to convene a meeting of the party’s general council to discuss the defeats and chart a way forward.
The latest setbacks add to the AIADMK’s electoral reverses in the Lok Sabha elections, the 2021 Assembly elections and local body polls, keeping its leadership and electoral strategy under scrutiny.
Speaking to DT Next, senior journalist Tharasu Shyam said the victories of the two former AIADMK MLAs on TVK tickets could embolden leaders opposed to Palaniswami.
“Both former AIADMK MLAs have now won again under the TVK. This may encourage those opposed to EPS, as it could reinforce the perception that any AIADMK MLA who joins the TVK can retain the seat,” he said.
The defeats also raise questions about the AIADMK’s electoral standing, Shyam said, adding that the results could reflect a positive response to the TVK government.
“Voters were primarily expressing approval of the government's performance rather than loyalty to the candidates or other factors,” he said, adding that the outcome could also have implications for political alliances.
For Palaniswami, the immediate challenge is to contain further defections while managing differences among rival factions. Whether he can bring the dissenting camps together and address concerns over the party’s electoral strategy remains a key question following the bypoll defeats.
The AIADMK won both constituencies in the 2026 Assembly elections. Maragatham Kumaravel secured 69,284 votes in Maduranthakam, while P Sathyabama won Dharapuram with 81,100 votes. Both later resigned as MLAs and joined the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), along with four other AIADMK legislators.
The defections followed differences within the AIADMK leadership over the party’s response to its Assembly election defeat. The camps led by C Ve Shanmugam and S P Velumani questioned Palaniswami’s leadership after he rejected demands to extend support to the TVK following the results. As many as 25 of the AIADMK’s 47 MLAs voted in favour of the TVK government, defying the party whip.
Besides Maragatham Kumaravel and Sathyabama, S Jayakumar of Perundurai, Isakki Subbiah of Ambasamudram, C Vijayabaskar of Viralimalai and M R Vijayabhaskar of Karur also resigned as MLAs and joined the TVK.
In the first phase of the by-elections, the TVK fielded the two former AIADMK legislators in their respective constituencies. Meanwhile, the AIADMK nominated Kanitha Sampath in Maduranthakam and Bhanumathi in Dharapuram.