‘Pirated AIADMK’: AIADMK attacks Vijay’s TVK ahead of Madurantakam bypoll

The Madurantakam Assembly bypoll has emerged as a closely watched contest, with the AIADMK attacking the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) over defections and its attempt to draw support from the AIADMK’s political legacy. The bypoll is scheduled for October 6.

The contest has acquired added significance after former AIADMK MLA K Maragatham Kumaravel resigned from the Assembly, joined TVK and was subsequently fielded by the party from Madurantakam. She had won the constituency for the AIADMK in the 2026 Assembly election.

AIADMK MP IS Inbadurai criticised TVK leader and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay for beginning his Madurantakam campaign by garlanding the statue of former Chief Minister and AIADMK founder MG Ramachandran (MGR). Inbadurai described the move as political drama.

AIADMK attack

Inbadurai said the AIADMK remained the only party carrying the political legacy of MGR and former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, popularly known as Amma. He rejected claims that TVK was emerging as a new version of the AIADMK.

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“Only one MGR, only one Amma, only one AIADMK in Tamil Nadu. It is a fake AIADMK. It is a pirated AIADMK,” Inbadurai said.

He also questioned why AIADMK leaders and MLAs had moved to TVK if the latter was genuinely an alternative version of the AIADMK. He described the defections as being driven by political interests and alleged that some leaders were seeking gains from the ruling side.

The AIADMK MP also dismissed Vijay’s garlanding of MGR’s statue as “high drama”. He said MGR could not be replaced and referred to TVK as a “drama company”, playing on the party’s Tamil name.

Kumaravel factor

Kumaravel’s switch has become a central issue in the bypoll. She represented Madurantakam as an AIADMK MLA before resigning and joining TVK. The AIADMK has fielded K Kanitha Sampath against her.

Asked whether AIADMK supporters would back her this time, Kumaravel said she expected their support because of her long association with the constituency. She said she had spent five years among the people as an Opposition party member and believed voters would support her again.

Kumaravel also expressed confidence that she would win, citing her familiarity among voters and the plans announced by her party. In the 2026 Assembly election, the AIADMK won Madurantakam with 69,284 votes, ahead of TVK’s 62,090 and DMK’s 59,838.

Cash allegations

The campaign has also seen allegations of cash distribution. CPI(M) state secretary P Shanmugam said voters in villages visited by Left party workers claimed that political parties were distributing money and alleged that TVK was offering the highest amount. These allegations have not been independently established.

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According to Shanmugam, some voters asked why CPI(M) workers were distributing only pamphlets when other parties were allegedly giving money. He said voters told the party that TVK had given more than others. “The people said that the TVK had given more,” Shanmugam said. TVK has denied the cash-for-votes allegations.

For the DMK, party president MK Stalin and Youth Wing secretary Udhayanidhi Stalin have campaigned for party candidate I Paranthamen. Stalin has acknowledged that the DMK underestimated TVK before the 2026 Assembly election, while the party is seeking to consolidate its support among Dalit voters in the reserved Madurantakam constituency.

Three-way contest

Madurantakam is a Scheduled Caste-reserved constituency in Chengalpattu district. The bypoll was necessitated after Kumaravel resigned as an AIADMK MLA and joined TVK. The October 6 contest includes candidates from TVK, AIADMK, DMK, CPI(M), NTK and others.

The contest is important for the AIADMK because the party is seeking to retain its support in a constituency it won in the 2026 Assembly election. For TVK, the bypoll comes after Kumaravel’s defection and amid a campaign by Vijay seeking to consolidate the party’s position.

The DMK is also using the bypoll to assess voter sentiment towards the TVK government and its campaign against the ruling party. The constituency’s caste composition, including Dalit and Vanniyar voters, is another important factor in the electoral contest.

PMK’s silence

The Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), which has historically influenced the Vanniyar vote and supported either the DMK or AIADMK alliance in different elections, has not publicly declared support for any side in the Madurantakam bypoll. Recent reporting confirms that the PMK has maintained neutrality in the October 6 bypolls.

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With the AIADMK seeking to retain its traditional support, TVK defending its decision to field Kumaravel and the DMK attempting to consolidate its own base, Madurantakam has become a key test of how voters respond to competing claims over party identity, defections and governance.

The question now is whether Kumaravel’s personal connect with the constituency can translate into support for her new party, and how the AIADMK, DMK and TVK will fare when Madurantakam votes on October 6.