Tamil Nadu By-Election Result 2026 Live: Vijay's TVK leads in Madurantakam, AIADMK edges ahead in tight Dharapuram contest

Early trends in the Union Territory of Puducherry appeared to favour the All India NR Congress (AINRC), led by Chief Minister N Rangasamy, which heads the ruling NDA coalition government.

The Thattanchavady bypoll is an early test for the four-month-old government, with the seat falling vacant after Rangasamy resigned.

While 11 candidates are in the fray, the main contest is seen as a three-cornered fight between the ruling AINRC-led NDA, the Congress and the DMK, a former ally of the Congress. Thattanchavady recorded a voter turnout of 78.83%.

In the second round of counting in the Madurantakam Assembly by-election, TVK is leading with 4,906 votes, followed by DMK with 3,514 votes and AIADMK with 2,818 votes.

In Dharapuram, AIADMK candidate Banumathi is ahead with 6,450 votes, narrowly leading TVK's Sathyabhama, who has secured 6,384 votes. DMK candidate Sukanya is in third place with 4,927 votes, followed by Naam Tamilar candidate Karthika with 168 votes and CPI with 70 votes.

Inputs by Apoorva

The Madras High Court is set to deliver its judgment today in cases challenging the Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker's order accepting the resignation of six rebel AIADMK MLAs against whom disqualification proceedings were already pending.

The verdict is set to coincide with the counting of votes in Tamil Nadu's Madurantakam and Dharapuram reserved Assembly constituencies for the October 6 by-elections.

Two of the six ex-AIADMK MLAs at the centre of the controversy – Maragatham Kumaravel and Sathyabhama – have been fielded by the ruling TVK in Madurantakam and Dharapuram respectively. The Madurantakam bypoll recorded 86.26 percent voter turnout.

(With agency inputs)

A total of 27 candidates are contesting the Madurantakam by-election, including 17 independents, while 22 are in the fray in Dharapuram.

Madurantakam: The key contestants are S Kanitha Sampath (AIADMK), I Paranthamen (DMK), K Maragatham Kumaravel (TVK), P Suganthi (CPM) and G Janakiraman (NTK). FOLLOW LIVE UPDATES HERE

Dharapuram: The main candidates include K Banumathi (AIADMK), S Suganya (DMK), P Sathyabama (TVK), P Lakshmanan (CPI) and M Karthika (NTK). The constituency has 320 polling stations. FOLLOW LIVE UPDATES HERE

The by-elections in Madurantakam and Dharapuram were necessitated by the resignation of the then AIADMK MLAs, K Maragatham Kumaravel and P Satyabama, who later joined the ruling TVK. Both leaders have been renominated by the party from their respective constituencies. The DMK and AIADMK are also in the contest in both seats.

According to the final figures released by the Election Commission of India (ECI), Madurantakam recorded a voter turnout of 86.26 per cent, while Dharapuram saw 80.30 per cent polling.

Despite the turnout figures, both constituencies recorded a decline compared with the Assembly elections held five months ago. Madurantakam saw a drop of nearly seven percentage points, while Dharapuram's turnout fell by around 9.5 percentage points.

In Madurantakam, 2,614 state police personnel are deployed alongside 480 Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel, according to an official. In Dharapuram, around 1,000 police personnel are overseeing security, with election monitoring staff and central forces also deployed.

Tiruppur District Election Officer Manish Narnaware said the strongroom at LRG Government Arts and Science College had been sealed and placed under heavy security, with round-the-clock CCTV surveillance. Three deputy collector-level officials have been assigned to monitor the district throughout the counting process.

Chengalpattu Collector M Veerappan said all EVMs at the Integrated Social Development Training Centre in Aathur were being guarded under a layered security arrangement following the peaceful completion of polling.