DMK president M.K. Stalin and AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami have both labelled the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam's (TVK) success in the Dharapuram and Madurantakam assembly byelections as a “temporary victory.” The polls were held after two MLAs resigned to join the ruling party, a move Mr. Stalin described as a “blatant murder of democracy.”
In a social media statement, Mr. Stalin alleged that the TVK, led by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, secured its position through “horse-trading,” poaching of MLAs, and the deployment of administrative and police power. He contended that the significant number of votes polled by opposition parties indicated that the ruling party had been rejected by a majority of the electorate. Mr. Stalin also criticised the Chief Minister’s extensive door-to-door campaigning, suggesting that the ruling party was anxious about the outcome and had resorted to distributing gifts and inducements.
Separately, Edappadi K. Palaniswami of the AIADMK accused the government of misusing state machinery to manipulate the results. He alleged that the byelections were essentially an attempt by the TVK to turn its minority government into a majority one through political defections. Mr. Palaniswami further claimed that his party workers faced intimidation and that false cases were registered against AIADMK candidates. Despite the loss, he described the AIADMK as an “iron fortress” and maintained that the result did not signal the party's decline.
AMMK general secretary TTV Dhinakaran also weighed in, characterising the victory as transient and citing public grievances such as rising commodity prices, power cuts, and the prevalence of drug-related crimes. While the opposition leaders dismissed the TVK's win as a fleeting gain built on questionable political maneuvers, they indicated that their respective parties would continue to challenge the government on these issues. The ruling party has defended its record, focusing on its mandate and the results of the constituency polls.
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