CHENNAI: The three-month-old TVK-led government will face its first electoral test on October 6, with the Election Commission announcing bypolls to the Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly constituencies, on Monday.
The two seats are among seven vacancies in the Tamil Nadu Assembly. The EC, however, has not announced polls for Tiruchy East, Ambasamudram, Viralimalai, Perundurai, and Karur, where election-related cases concerning the returned candidates are pending. The restraint on holding by-elections in these five constituencies has been extended till September 8.
The announcement brought the Model Code of Conduct into force immediately in Madurantakam and Dharapuram. According to the schedule, nominations can be filed from September 9 to 16, scrutiny will be held on September 17, the last date for withdrawal is September 19, and counting of votes will take place on October 9.
The two constituencies fell vacant after AIADMK legislators Maragatham Kumaravel and Sathyabama resigned as MLAs and joined the TVK. They are likely to be fielded by the ruling party, though the TVK is yet to formally announce its candidates.
The bypolls assume political significance as they come barely three months after the TVK formed the government. A victory in both constituencies would provide a boost to the ruling party’s numbers and help demonstrate that its electoral support has remained intact after assuming power.
The contests also come against the backdrop of differences between the TVK and some of its allies. The CPI has held protests over rising prices, while the CPM has differed with the State government on various issues. The Congress has warned that it could reconsider its participation in the cabinet unless Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is accepted as the alliance's Prime Ministerial candidate.
The principal Opposition DMK has lost all its major allies to the TVK. The AIADMK-led alliance, in contrast, has remained intact despite six of its MLAs quitting the party and joining the TVK. At the same time, some senior leaders and MLAs rebelled against AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami.
The DMK, AIADMK, and BJP are expected to mount an aggressive campaign against the TVK in both constituencies. For the AIADMK, the bopolls are particularly significant as the vacancies were caused by the defection of its legislators to the TVK.