Chennai:
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and TVK chief Vijay has alleged that the DMK and AIADMK have struck a tacit understanding ahead of the October 6 bye-elections, claiming the two parties have decided to let the DMK fight in Madurantakam and the AIADMK in Dharapuram.
Campaigning in Dharapuram for TVK candidate P Sathyabama, Vijay questioned the absence of senior DMK leader and former minister Senthil Balaji from the campaign, arguing that Dharapuram falls within his sphere of political influence.
Vijay also reiterated his allegation that the DMK and AIADMK had attempted to come together to form the government after the 2026 assembly election – a claim that both Dravidian parties have denied.
The AIADMK had won both Madurantakam and Dharapuram in the assembly election. The seats fell vacant after MLAs K Maragatham Kumaravel and P Sathyabama resigned and joined the TVK. Both are now contesting the October 6 bypolls as TVK candidates.
Defending the defections, Vijay invoked the legacy of MGR and Jayalalithaa. “MGR and Jayalalithaa fought against the DMK. How would their followers accept any deal with the DMK? That’s why the AIADMK MLAs resigned and joined us.”
Responding to the AIADMK’s allegation that the ruling party had indulged in horse-trading, Vijay asked, “Why horse-trading when people are with us?”
Without naming the BJP directly, Vijay also suggested that the two Dravidian parties were being controlled by a common political force, and said as long as people remained with the TVK, “no one can do anything”.
He sought to reinforce his argument by referring to the recent controversy in the Tamil Nadu assembly over the Sarkaria Commission’s report.
Vijay said the AIADMK had objected after he raised the issue in the House, referring to party chief E Palaniswami subsequently calling his responses on the matter irrelevant. “Only DMK and AIADMK raise these allegations,” Vijay said, portraying the two parties as being politically aligned despite their public differences.
“Only Vijay opposes the DMK like MGR and Jayalalithaa,” he added, claiming AIADMK cadres understood this.
Addressing voters in Dharapuram, Vijay appealed to them not to vote for DMK or the AIADMK, which he accused of betraying the legacy of MGR and Jayalalithaa. “AIADMK and DMK are the same. Only outside they masquerade,” he said.
DMK Rejects Allegations
The DMK has rejected the charge of a secret understanding with the AIADMK.
Party spokesperson and former MP TKS Elangovan called the allegations “third-rate” and said his party had announced its candidate before the AIADMK.
He also denied Vijay’s claim that the two parties had attempted to form a government together after the assembly election.
Palaniswami has also denied the allegation of an attempted DMK-AIADMK government.
The allegations come as the two parties have instead stepped up their attacks on TVK candidate Sathyabama over her resignation from the AIADMK and subsequent switch to the ruling party. Palaniswami has described the bypolls as a “battle for justice” and accused Vijay of luring away AIADMK MLAs.
Battle For Dharapuram
The Dharapuram contest is particularly significant because the AIADMK had secured a substantial lead there in the assembly election in April, with Sathyabama winning the seat before switching to TVK. The bypoll has since seen protests and confrontations involving the TVK candidate, including objections over her resignation.
For the minority TVK government, the two bypolls are the first elections since it came to power. It will be a referendum and provide it with an opportunity to improve its tally towards the half-way mark.
For the DMK, the bypolls are the first electoral contests since several former AIADMK leaders and legislators moved to the TVK. For the AIADMK, the contests are an attempt to retain two seats it won only months ago and to make the defections a central electoral issue.
