Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam chief and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay has named candidates for two upcoming Assembly by-elections, marking the first electoral test for the three-month-old TVK government. Maragatham Kumaravel has been fielded from the reserved Madurantakam constituency, while P Sathyabama will contest from the reserved Dharapuram seat. Both candidates are former AIADMK legislators who previously won their respective seats on AIADMK tickets before resigning and joining Vijay’s party.
The by-polls are scheduled for October 6 and will be contested under the banner of the Secular Social Justice Victory Alliance. Rival parties, including the DMK, are expected to contest both seats aggressively in the elections, which are seen as an early gauge of public sentiment toward the TVK government after its rise to power.