TVK scores big win in first electoral test, but vote gains raise questions for Vijay
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), led by actor-turned-politician C. Joseph Vijay, won two bypolls in Tamil Nadu, increasing its assembly strength to 109. Despite the victory, the results show a complex political landscape with shifting alliances and declining support for established parties like the DMK and AIADMK.
Why it matters
The success of a new political party led by a major celebrity signals a significant shift in the regional political power structure of Tamil Nadu.
CHENNAI: Chief minister C Joseph Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) cleared its first electoral test barely five months after forming a govt in Tamil Nadu, winning two bypolls held on Oct 6. Though Madurantakam and Dharapuram presented different political terrains, the ruling party won both seats by fielding former AIADMK MLAs Maragatham Kumaravel and P Sathyabama, who switched sides barely 20 days after the April 23 Assembly election.Sathyabama won Dharapuram by a margin of 9,471 votes, while Maragatham secured Madurantakam by 19,241 votes. DMK, which finished third in both constituencies in April, moved up to the second place, while AIADMK, which had won both seats in the April assembly election, slipped to third.The results increased TVK’s strength in the 234-member Assembly from 107 to 109. The victories could give the three-year-old party greater confidence as it prepares for bypolls in five other constituencies.
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