TN bypolls: A test of Vijay's hold, a chance for DMK to claw back

Polling preparations are complete for the October 6 bypolls in Tamil Nadu's Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly constituencies, with the closely watched contests set to test the ruling TVK government and the opposition DMK.

The high-stakes campaigns, marked by an unusually heavy presence of Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, DMK president MK Stalin, Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin and AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami, have underlined the political importance of the bypolls.

For the TVK, which came to power in May, the results will be an early test of Vijay's government and could determine whether the party can strengthen its position in the 234-member Assembly. For the DMK, which was pushed to the third position in the April Assembly polls, the contests offer an opportunity to regain political ground. The AIADMK, meanwhile, is seeking to revive its fortunes after its electoral setback.

The bypolls have turned into a five-cornered contest involving the ruling TVK, DMK, AIADMK, the Left parties and a Tamil nationalist outfit.

The Opposition has alleged that the vacancies were created through "horse-trading", forcing voters to return to the polls. The TVK has rejected the charge, saying the AIADMK MLAs resigned after becoming disillusioned with the Palaniswami camp's alleged attempts to join hands with the DMK.

Vijay has fielded K Maragatham Kumaravel in Madurantakam and P Sathyabama in Dharapuram, both former AIADMK MLAs who resigned and later joined the TVK. They face key challenges from DMK's I Paranthamen and AIADMK's Kanitha Sampath in Madurantakam, and DMK's S Suganya and AIADMK's K Bhanumathi in Dharapuram.

.Madurantakam, Dharapuram bypolls: Stalin, EPS make last-minute pitch as campaign ends.Five-way fight in Madurantakam bypoll.

During his campaign, Vijay sought to position the TVK as the inheritor of the welfare politics associated with former AIADMK chief ministers MG Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa, while portraying his party as the principal alternative to the DMK.

The TVK has also highlighted welfare initiatives such as expanded fare-free bus services for women, one-gram gold rings for newborns and the extension of the breakfast scheme to students up to Class 8.

Vijay undertook extensive roadshows during the campaign, driving a tractor in Madurantakam and riding a bullock cart in Dharapuram.

The bypolls also come amid questions over the stability of the nearly five-month-old TVK government, which relies on outside support from the CPI and CPI(M), which together have four MLAs.

Though the Left parties have pledged to continue supporting the government, they have been critical of several TVK policies. The CPI(M) has opposed the proposed Secretariat-Assembly complex and alleged that the ruling party was distributing money to influence voters.

The TVK's repeated appeals for the Left parties to join the government have also been rejected.

.Left promises strong campaign against 'ally' TVK.

Speculation over the PMK extending support to the government has added another layer to the political calculations. The PMK has four MLAs but has said it will not support any party in the bypolls. VCK, which has two MLAs and is a TVK ally, has maintained that it will not join any government that includes the "casteist" PMK.

PMK supporters waving party flags and expressing support for Vijay during his recent Madurantakam campaign, however, have drawn attention.

Madurantakam, a reserved constituency in northern Tamil Nadu near Chennai, has 27 candidates in the fray, while Dharapuram, also reserved and located in western Tamil Nadu, has 22 candidates.

The vacancies arose after seven MLAs resigned. Vijay retained Perambur after resigning from Tiruchirappalli (East), while AIADMK's Maragatham Kumaravel, P Sathyabama, S Jayakumar, Esakki Subaya, C Vijayabhaskar and M R Vijayabhaskar also resigned from their respective constituencies.

The effective strength of the Assembly is currently 227. The TVK has 107 MLAs, including the Speaker, followed by the DMK with 59 and AIADMK with 41. The Congress has five MLAs, PMK four, CPI and CPI(M) two each, VCK two and IUML two, while the BJP, DMDK and AMMK have one each.

The Election Commission announced the bypolls for Madurantakam and Dharapuram while petitions concerning the resignations of the MLAs and related matters were pending before the Madras High Court.

Polling will be held from 7 am to 6 pm on Tuesday, with officials saying adequate security and other arrangements are in place for peaceful voting.