The backdrop for the political developments in Tamil Nadu followed the 2026 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election, held on 23 April 2026 as part of the 2026 elections in India. In the election, the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), led by C. Joseph Vijay, secured 108 seats in the 234-member assembly. The Ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), led by M. K. Stalin, became the principal opposition party, with Udhayanidhi Stalin becoming Leader of Opposition, due to his father and then-Chief Minister, M.K. Stalin losing from his own seat of Kolathur.
Background
The following MLAs resigned from the assembly after the 2026 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election. Date Constituency Previous MLA Party Reason Elected MLA6 October 202635MaduranthakamMaragatham KumaravelResigned on 25 May 2026TBD101DharapuramP. SathyabamaTBD103PerunduraiS. JayakumarTBDElection Petition Pending135KarurM. R. VijayabhaskarResigned on 29 June 2026141Tiruchirappalli EastC. Joseph VijayResigned on 10 May 2026179ViralimalaiC. VijayabaskarResigned on 16 June 2026225AmbasamudramE. SubayaResigned on 26 May 2026
The resignation of 6 AIADMK legislators and their subsequent joining of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam attracted political attention in the state. This act was described as Horse trading by Members of the Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu of Past Ruling party and current Opposition DMK
Schedule The schedule for the October By-election was announced by the Election Commission of India on 7 September 2026. EventDate Date of Issue for Gazette Notification 9 September 2026 Deadline for filing nominations 16 September 2026 Scrutiny of nominations 17 September 2026 Deadline for withdrawal of nomination 19 September 2026 Polling 6 October 2026 Counting of votes 9 October 2026 Deadline for the completion of election process 11 October 2026
Turnout
Seat No. Constituency Turnout 35 Madurantakam 86.26% 101 Dharapuram 80.30%
Source: Election Commission of India
Candidates District # ConstituencySSJVADMK+AIADMK+LFChengalpattu1MadurantakamTVKMaragatham KumaravelI. ParanthamenS. Kanitha SampathSuganthiThiruppur2DharapuramTVKP. SathyabamaS. SuganyaK. BanumathiLakshmanan
Results
References