Polling eve: TVK takes DMK to EC over 'derogatory' remarks as Dhinakaran calls TVK rule a 'curse'

On the eve of polling in Dharapuram and Madurantakam, the bypoll battle went from slogans to paperwork. Tamil Nadu's ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam announced on Saturday that it will lodge a formal complaint with the Election Commission of India, accusing DMK president M.K. Stalin and Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin of making derogatory remarks against a woman candidate during the Dharapuram campaign. Tamil Nadu Energy and Law Minister R. Nirmal Kumar made the announcement in Chennai, alleging that the two DMK leaders used offensive language targeting TVK's Dharapuram candidate, former AIADMK MLA P. Sathyabama. Nirmal Kumar described the comments as exposing the DMK leadership's "true character", and said the party was taking the fight to the Commission because the remarks went beyond ordinary campaign rhetoric into personal attacks on women candidates. Separately, AMMK general secretary TTV Dhinakaran launched one of the sharpest attacks of the campaign on Friday, calling a TVK government a "curse" for Tamil Nadu. Addressing reporters in Dharapuram, Dhinakaran compared the alleged impact of Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay's rule to the El Nino weather phenomenon. He claimed Dharapuram had traditionally been an AIADMK stronghold won just four months ago in the April Assembly elections, and demanded strict Election Commission action against elected representatives who resign shortly after being elected. "The Chief Minister is responsible for this by-election," Dhinakaran alleged. Dhinakaran further alleged 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 targeted Vijay's campaign style, referring to the Chief Minister's recent roadshows and tractor-driving appearances, and questioned the political credentials of present-day leaders, contrasting them with those who brought political change to Tamil Nadu in 1967 and 1977. The twin salvos land on a campaign already weighed down by questions about how these bypolls came to exist. Both seats fell vacant after sitting AIADMK MLAs, P. Sathyabama in Dharapuram and K. Maragatham Kumaravel in Madurantakam, resigned and joined the ruling TVK, which then renominated them on its own whistle symbol. The AIADMK has petitioned the Election Commission alleging cash distribution in Rettipalayam and Acharapakkam, while NTK candidate Karthika's allegation of tiffin boxes carrying Rs 6,000 and silver coins remains unanswered days before polling. Meanwhile, the wider opposition has kept its sights on the referee. TVK's entry into the INDIA bloc in Tamil Nadu was confirmed on October 3, with the bloc announcing district-level demonstrations on October 13 and 14 demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, followed by a major protest on October 15 and an MPs' march to the Election Commission headquarters in New Delhi on October 6, polling day itself. Polling is scheduled for October 6, with votes counted on October 9. Forty-nine candidates remain in the fray, 22 in Dharapuram and 27 in Madurantakam, making this the first real electoral test of the Vijay-led government since it took power in April.