Tamil Nadu byelections: AIADMK names candidates for Madurantakam, Dharapuram constituencies

Kanitha Sampath, the AIADMK candidate for byelection in Madurantakam (SC) constituency. File | Photo Credit: B. Jothi Ramalingam The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), on Thursday (September 10, 2026), announced its candidates for the byelections to be conducted in Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu on October 6. The AIADMK named former legislator Kanitha Sampath as its candidate for Madurantakam (Chengalpattu district) and K. Bhanumathi for Dharapuram (Tiruppur district), according to an announcement by the party’s general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami.Ms. Sampath who will be contesting in Madurantakam currently serves as a member of the party’s general council and joint secretary of the AIADMK women’s wing.Ms. Bhanumathi who has been fielded in Dharapuram serves as the joint secretary of the Tiruppur suburban east district women’s wing and is a former member of the 12th Ward of the district panchayat council, the release added.The elections in the two reserved Assembly constituencies were necessitated following the resignation of former AIADMK MLAs Maragatham Kumaravel (Madurantakam) and P. Sathyabama (Dharapuram) on May 25 shortly before they joined the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) the same day. Both the women had won from the seats after contesting under AIADMK’s ‘Two Leaves’ symbol in the April 23 Assembly elections held in Tamil Nadu.Notably, Ms. Kumaravel and Ms. Sathyabama seek re-election in the October 6 bypolls as they have been named by the TVK as the ruling party’s candidates on Thursday for the byelections. Published - September 10, 2026 07:44 pm IST