P. Sathyabama of TVK won the Dharapuram Assembly by-election (Tiruppur district, reserved for Scheduled Castes), taking 37.02% of the 1,80,532 votes polled. The margin over S. Suganya (DMK) was 9,471 votes, or 5.25% of votes polled. Polling was on 6 October 2026 and the votes were counted on 9 October 2026.
Why Dharapuram went to a by-election
In the May 2026 general election the AIADMK’s P. Sathyabama won Dharapuram by 16,727 votes (8.37%). On 25 May 2026 the MLA resigned and joined TVK, which fielded P. Sathyabama again in the same seat. The defecting MLA won the seat back on TVK’s ticket. The AIADMK finished third.
Full candidate results, Dharapuram by-election 2026
| # | Candidate | Party | EVM | Postal | Total | Vote % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | P. Sathyabama Winner | TVK | 66,586 | 255 | 66,841 | 37.02% |
| 2 | S. Suganya 2nd | DMK | 56,757 | 613 | 57,370 | 31.78% |
| 3 | K. Banumathi | AIADMK | 44,874 | 406 | 45,280 | 25.08% |
| 4 | M. Karthika | NTK | 5,249 | 19 | 5,268 | 2.92% |
| 5 | P. Lakshmanan | CPI | 1,150 | 7 | 1,157 | 0.64% |
| 6 | S. Rajarathinam | IND | 654 | 1 | 655 | 0.36% |
| 7 | N. Marimuthu | IND | 473 | 0 | 473 | 0.26% |
| 8 | P. Muthusamy | IND | 436 | 1 | 437 | 0.24% |
| 9 | S. Banupriya | IND | 325 | 0 | 325 | 0.18% |
| 10 | M. Sathishkumar | IND | 269 | 4 | 273 | 0.15% |
| 11 | R. Perumal | IND | 253 | 0 | 253 | 0.14% |
| 12 | C. Banumathi Namesake of K. Banumathi | IND | 250 | 0 | 250 | 0.14% |
| 13 | S. Mahendran | IND | 224 | 0 | 224 | 0.12% |
| 14 | P. Nallasamy | IND | 195 | 0 | 195 | 0.11% |
| 15 | G. Arulraju | Anaithinthiya Anna Dravida Makkal Seyal Katchi | 152 | 2 | 154 | 0.09% |
| 16 | S. Dhanalakshmi | IND | 130 | 3 | 133 | 0.07% |
| 17 | D. Jotheeshwari | IND | 124 | 0 | 124 | 0.07% |
| 18 | V. Rajeshwari | IND | 117 | 0 | 117 | 0.06% |
| 19 | M. Sathyabama Namesake of P. Sathyabama | IND | 100 | 2 | 102 | 0.06% |
| 20 | R. Arumugam | Ganasangam Party Of India | 91 | 0 | 91 | 0.05% |
| 21 | S. Sasipriya | IND | 77 | 0 | 77 | 0.04% |
| 22 | S. Maheshwaran | Anti Corruption Dynamic Party | 56 | 0 | 56 | 0.03% |
| NOTA | 674 | 3 | 677 | 0.38% | ||
| Total | 1,316 | 1,80,532 |
The ballot carried 2 independents sharing a main candidate’s name: C. Banumathi (250 votes, sharing a name with K. Banumathi), M. Sathyabama (102 votes, sharing a name with P. Sathyabama). Together they polled 352 votes, against a margin of 9,471.
Dharapuram: 2021, May 2026 and the by-election
| Party | 2021 | May 2026 | Oct 2026 bypoll | Change since May |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TVK | did not stand | 23.23% | 37.02% | +13.79 pts |
| AIADMK | did not stand | 40.56% | 25.08% | -15.48 pts |
| DMK | 46.39% | 32.20% | 31.78% | -0.42 pts |
| BJP | 45.67% | did not stand | did not stand | n/a |
| NTK | 3.48% | 3.01% | 2.92% | -0.09 pts |
| Left | did not stand | did not stand | 0.64% | +0.64 pts |
| Others | 3.48% | 0.47% | 2.18% | +1.71 pts |
| NOTA | 0.98% | 0.53% | 0.38% | -0.15 pts |
| Winner | DMK by 1,393 (0.72%) | AIADMK by 16,727 (8.37%) | TVK by 9,471 (5.25%) | |
| Votes polled | 1,93,991 | 1,99,944 | 1,80,532 | |
| Turnout | 74.15% | 89.89% | 80.30% |
The 2021 figures are the ECI’s, as published by OpenCity. Percentages are of all votes polled, NOTA included. A party marked “did not stand” had no candidate in that election.
How the count went
AIADMK led the first 4 rounds; TVK led from round 5 to the end of the 23-round count. Cumulative votes after each EVM round, from the ECI results pages saved during counting:
| Round | TVK | DMK | AIADMK | Leader | Lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2,634 | 2,019 | 2,639 | AIADMK | 5 |
| 2 | 4,981 | 4,016 | 5,573 | AIADMK | 592 |
| 3 | 7,434 | 6,158 | 8,244 | AIADMK | 810 |
| 4 | 9,815 | 8,906 | 10,773 | AIADMK | 958 |
| 5 | 13,213 | 11,554 | 12,489 | TVK | 724 |
| 6 | 16,201 | 13,797 | 14,807 | TVK | 1,394 |
| 7 | 18,690 | 15,988 | 17,773 | TVK | 917 |
| 8 | 21,034 | 17,898 | 19,730 | TVK | 1,304 |
| 9 | 24,047 | 19,972 | 21,935 | TVK | 2,112 |
| 10 | 27,649 | 22,503 | 23,521 | TVK | 4,128 |
| 11 | 31,327 | 25,841 | 24,363 | TVK | 5,486 |
| 12 | 34,987 | 28,567 | 25,307 | TVK | 6,420 |
| 13 | 37,944 | 31,043 | 26,266 | TVK | 6,901 |
| 14 | 41,327 | 33,263 | 27,561 | TVK | 8,064 |
| 15 | 45,336 | 36,110 | 29,348 | TVK | 9,226 |
| 16 | 48,675 | 39,039 | 31,067 | TVK | 9,636 |
| 17 | 51,253 | 42,390 | 32,892 | TVK | 8,863 |
| 18 | 54,099 | 45,088 | 35,005 | TVK | 9,011 |
| 19 | 56,903 | 47,553 | 37,040 | TVK | 9,350 |
| 20 | 60,078 | 50,075 | 38,760 | TVK | 10,003 |
| 21 | 62,851 | 53,013 | 41,484 | TVK | 9,838 |
| 22 | 65,341 | 55,113 | 43,594 | TVK | 10,228 |
| 23 | 66,841 | 57,370 | 45,280 | TVK | 9,471 |
More on this by-election
- The May 2026 result for this seat: Dharapuram, May 2026
- Every by-election, with the seats still vacant: Tamil Nadu by-elections 2026
- Charts, the count and all candidates: the bypoll dashboard
- The analysis: Two AIADMK defectors won their seats back on TVK’s ticket
Source: Election Commission of India. Turnout figures are the ECI’s polling-day numbers as reported by DT Next, The News Minute and Free Press Journal.