'A curse for Tamil Nadu': Dhinakaran demands EC action against MLA seat-traders on bypoll eve

DHARAPURAM: With hours to go before polling in the Madurantakam and Dharapuram by-elections, AMMK general secretary TTV Dhinakaran has launched his sharpest attack yet on the TVK government, calling a Vijay-led administration "a curse for Tamil Nadu" and demanding that the Election Commission crack down on elected representatives who resign within months of winning, only to force by-elections. Addressing reporters in Dharapuram, Dhinakaran drew a withering comparison: "Just as El Nino affects us, a TVK government under Chief Minister Vijay would be a curse for us." The AMMK leader, whose party holds influence in parts of western Tamil Nadu, alleged that the Dharapuram by-election itself was manufactured. The seat fell vacant after AIADMK legislator P. Sathyabama resigned on May 25 — less than three weeks after entering the Assembly — and joined the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, which has now fielded her as its own candidate. "The Chief Minister is responsible for this by-election," Dhinakaran said, demanding strict EC action against those who resign shortly after being elected. Going further, Dhinakaran claimed that Vijay had secured the support of around 25 AIADMK MLAs through promises, while AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami had "acted magnanimously." He also claimed that after he visited the Governor's residence on an invitation, there were attempts to negotiate with an AMMK MLA — a charge that, if true, points to horse-trading at the highest level. Dhinakaran accused Vijay of presenting himself as a "pure force" while lowering political standards through his statements and actions, and mocked the Chief Minister's campaign style — the roadshows and tractor-driving that have defined TVK's bypoll push. Those who brought political change to Tamil Nadu in 1967 and 1977, he said, were known to the people; he questioned the political credentials of present-day leaders who rely on spectacle. The attack lands on the eve of a high-stakes test. Polling begins at 7 am on Monday, October 6, in Madurantakam (Chengalpattu district) and Dharapuram (Tiruppur district), with counting on October 9. Both seats fell vacant after former AIADMK legislators Maragatham Kumaravel and Sathyabama resigned on May 25 and joined the TVK; both now contest as TVK nominees. Twenty-seven candidates are in the fray in Madurantakam and 22 in Dharapuram, in an unusually crowded five-cornered contest between the TVK-led alliance, the DMK-led alliance, the AIADMK-led NDA, the Left parties and the Naam Tamilar Katchi. Campaigning ended on Sunday evening, and the constituencies are now under election silence. The DMK has already accused TVK workers of bribing voters in Dharapuram with sarees, lamps and biryani — charges the TVK has not answered. Dhinakaran's broadside opens a second front: not just how the ruling party campaigns, but how it manufactured the election itself. On Monday morning, the voters of two constituencies get to answer.