Chennai: I. Paranthamen, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) candidate for the Madurantakam Assembly constituency by-election, filed his nomination on Tuesday. The filing took place at the Revenue Divisional Office in Madurantakam, where the Revenue Divisional Officer also serves as the Returning Officer for the by-election.
Mr. Paranthamen was accompanied by several DMK functionaries during the nomination process, including former Minister T.M. Anbarasan. Speaking to reporters after submitting his papers, Mr. Paranthamen expressed confidence in his victory and stated his intention to dedicate the win to the party leadership.
The by-elections for the Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly constituencies are scheduled to be held on October 6. The Election Commission of India announced the schedule, which includes the nomination filing period from September 9 to September 16, scrutiny of papers on September 17, and the last date for withdrawal of candidatures on September 19. Votes will be counted on October 9.
These vacancies arose following the resignations of AIADMK legislators Maragatham Kumaravel from Madurantakam and P. Sathyabama from Dharapuram. Both legislators subsequently joined the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). The TVK has nominated these former AIADMK legislators as their official candidates for the respective constituencies.
The DMK had announced its candidates for both constituencies on September 9. I. Paranthamen, who previously served as the MLA for the Egmore constituency from 2021 to 2026, is the DMK’s candidate for Madurantakam. S. Suganya, an advocate and a member of the DMK’s women’s wing, is contesting from Dharapuram.
The AIADMK has also announced its candidates for the by-elections. Kanitha Sampath, a former MLA, has been nominated for Madurantakam, while K. Bhanumathi, a Tiruppur district women’s wing functionary and former local body representative, is the party’s candidate for Dharapuram.
The political landscape in Tamil Nadu has seen shifts, with the ruling TVK aiming to consolidate its position and the opposition parties, including the AIADMK and DMK, seeking to assert their strength. The by-elections are considered significant as they occur relatively soon after the formation of the new state government and following defections from the AIADMK to the TVK.
Several other political parties, including the Left parties, are also fielding their candidates independently. The Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Communist Party of India, and the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) have decided to contest separately as a Left front. The Naam Tamilar Katchi has also announced its candidates for both seats.
The Election Commission had initially not announced polls for seven vacant seats, including Tiruchi East, Ambasamudram, Viralimalai, Perundurai, and Karur, due to pending election-related cases. However, the restraint on conducting bye-elections in these five constituencies has been extended until September 8, with the notifications for Madurantakam and Dharapuram bringing the Model Code of Conduct into immediate effect in these two constituencies.
The Chenab Times News Desk