K. Maragatham Kumaravel of TVK won the Madurantakam Assembly by-election (Chengalpattu district, reserved for Scheduled Castes), taking 39.96% of the 1,85,292 votes polled. The margin over I. Paranthamen (DMK) was 20,040 votes, or 10.82% of votes polled. Polling was on 6 October 2026 and the votes were counted on 9 October 2026.
Why Madurantakam went to a by-election
In the May 2026 general election the AIADMK’s K. Maragatham Kumaravel won Madurantakam by 7,194 votes (3.63%). On 25 May 2026 the MLA resigned and joined TVK, which fielded K. Maragatham Kumaravel again in the same seat. The defecting MLA won the seat back on TVK’s ticket. The AIADMK finished third.
Full candidate results, Madurantakam by-election 2026
| # | Candidate | Party | EVM | Postal | Total | Vote % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | K. Maragatham Kumaravel Winner | TVK | 73,911 | 137 | 74,048 | 39.96% |
| 2 | I. Paranthamen 2nd | DMK | 53,650 | 358 | 54,008 | 29.15% |
| 3 | S. Kanitha Sampath | AIADMK | 47,128 | 322 | 47,450 | 25.61% |
| 4 | G. Janakiraman | NTK | 2,709 | 0 | 2,709 | 1.46% |
| 5 | P. Suganthi | CPI(M) | 1,977 | 9 | 1,986 | 1.07% |
| 6 | E. Krishnakanth | IND | 990 | 14 | 1,004 | 0.54% |
| 7 | P. N. R. Baskaran | IND | 497 | 0 | 497 | 0.27% |
| 8 | V. Navindar | IND | 410 | 0 | 410 | 0.22% |
| 9 | Rajamani | IND | 350 | 3 | 353 | 0.19% |
| 10 | Kayalvizhi | IND | 348 | 1 | 349 | 0.19% |
| 11 | E. Ezhil | IND | 265 | 2 | 267 | 0.14% |
| 12 | M. Manokar | IND | 236 | 2 | 238 | 0.13% |
| 13 | K. Elaiyarasu | IND | 216 | 0 | 216 | 0.12% |
| 14 | M. Ranjitham | IND | 154 | 0 | 154 | 0.08% |
| 15 | N. Sathis Kumar | IND | 137 | 6 | 143 | 0.08% |
| 16 | K. Bhuvaneswari | Anaithinthiya Anna Dravida Makkal Seyal Katchi | 111 | 1 | 112 | 0.06% |
| 17 | G. Dr. Moorthy | IND | 112 | 0 | 112 | 0.06% |
| 18 | K. Logesh | IND | 91 | 0 | 91 | 0.05% |
| 19 | S. Murugan | IND | 86 | 0 | 86 | 0.05% |
| 20 | M. Kadirvel | IND | 78 | 5 | 83 | 0.04% |
| 21 | S. Arumugam | IND | 70 | 0 | 70 | 0.04% |
| 22 | M. Jegan | IND | 66 | 1 | 67 | 0.04% |
| 23 | G. Rajasekar | Desiya Makkal Sakthi Katchi | 52 | 0 | 52 | 0.03% |
| 24 | J. Ravikumar | Republican Party Of India (Sivaraj) | 40 | 2 | 42 | 0.02% |
| 25 | V. Muthuselvam | Anti Corruption Dynamic Party | 39 | 0 | 39 | 0.02% |
| 26 | M. G. Ramu | Jebamani Janata | 28 | 0 | 28 | 0.02% |
| 27 | K. Arumugam | IND | 25 | 1 | 26 | 0.01% |
| NOTA | 652 | 0 | 652 | 0.35% | ||
| Total | 864 | 1,85,292 |
Madurantakam: 2021, May 2026 and the by-election
| Party | 2021 | May 2026 | Oct 2026 bypoll | Change since May |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TVK | did not stand | 31.32% | 39.96% | +8.64 pts |
| AIADMK | 46.62% | 34.95% | 25.61% | -9.34 pts |
| DMK | 44.70% | 30.18% | 29.15% | -1.03 pts |
| NTK | 5.00% | 2.50% | 1.46% | -1.04 pts |
| Left | did not stand | did not stand | 1.07% | +1.07 pts |
| Others | 2.94% | 0.65% | 2.40% | +1.75 pts |
| NOTA | 0.74% | 0.40% | 0.35% | -0.05 pts |
| Winner | AIADMK by 3,570 (1.92%) | AIADMK by 7,194 (3.63%) | TVK by 20,040 (10.82%) | |
| Votes polled | 1,85,842 | 1,98,251 | 1,85,292 | |
| Turnout | 80.65% | 93.22% | 86.26% |
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
TVK led in every one of the 27 rounds. Cumulative votes after each EVM round, from the ECI results pages saved during counting:
| Round | TVK | DMK | AIADMK | Leader | Lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3,571 | 2,611 | 2,078 | TVK | 960 |
| 2 | 7,615 | 6,008 | 4,301 | TVK | 1,607 |
| 3 | 12,075 | 8,914 | 6,759 | TVK | 3,161 |
| 4 | 15,725 | 11,241 | 9,691 | TVK | 4,484 |
| 5 | 20,067 | 13,829 | 11,442 | TVK | 6,238 |
| 6 | 23,884 | 15,724 | 14,065 | TVK | 8,160 |
| 7 | 27,460 | 18,668 | 16,201 | TVK | 8,792 |
| 8 | 31,061 | 20,818 | 17,851 | TVK | 10,243 |
| 9 | 34,894 | 23,203 | 19,554 | TVK | 11,691 |
| 10 | 38,200 | 25,382 | 21,505 | TVK | 12,818 |
| 11 | 41,304 | 27,763 | 23,697 | TVK | 13,541 |
| 12 | 44,402 | 30,090 | 26,566 | TVK | 14,312 |
| 13 | 46,895 | 32,786 | 28,664 | TVK | 14,109 |
| 14 | 50,206 | 35,923 | 31,175 | TVK | 14,283 |
| 15 | 53,979 | 38,430 | 33,712 | TVK | 15,549 |
| 16 | 57,994 | 41,259 | 35,614 | TVK | 16,735 |
| 17 | 61,337 | 43,644 | 38,433 | TVK | 17,693 |
| 18 | 64,578 | 46,151 | 40,731 | TVK | 18,427 |
| 19 | 68,072 | 49,175 | 42,941 | TVK | 18,897 |
| 20 | 71,001 | 51,385 | 45,047 | TVK | 19,616 |
| 21 | 72,354 | 52,346 | 45,743 | TVK | 20,008 |
| 22 | 72,622 | 52,580 | 46,094 | TVK | 20,042 |
| 23 | 72,847 | 52,798 | 46,215 | TVK | 20,049 |
| 24 | 73,152 | 52,930 | 46,353 | TVK | 20,222 |
| 25 | 73,594 | 53,463 | 46,981 | TVK | 20,131 |
| 26 | 73,801 | 53,740 | 47,216 | TVK | 20,061 |
| 27 | 74,048 | 54,008 | 47,450 | TVK | 20,040 |
More on this by-election
- The May 2026 result for this seat: Madurantakam, 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.