Edappadi K Palaniswami didn’t mince words during his campaign rally in Dharapuram, turning his sights directly at Chief Minister Vijay’s private life. “He says that he’d be a brother, uncle and one among the family. One should live with the wife and children with affection. Are you qualified to say this?” EPS asked the crowd, dismissing Vijay’s public persona. “Punch dialogues on stage are not enough. One should live it and demonstrate in real life. We do that.”
The TVK snapped back within hours. Spokesperson M Sathya Kumar accused the AIADMK chief of dodging accountability by attacking personal matters instead of addressing why his own leaders are defecting. “EPS hasn’t won elections after Jayalalithaa’s death. That’s why AIADMK cadre switch to TVK,” Kumar stated, framing the party’s defections as a rejection of EPS’s leadership rather than mere horse-trading.
This exchange sharpens the stakes for the October 6 by-elections in Madurantakam and Dharapuram. The TVK has fielded two former AIADMK MLAs who resigned days after the Assembly results, a move the opposition labels as betrayal. For the ruling party, winning both seats is critical to solidify its minority government and expand its rural base, where it trailed in urban pockets during the 2026 Assembly polls.
Vijay returns to Dharapuram on Wednesday to intensify his campaign. The outcome will serve as an immediate referendum on the Vijay-led government’s performance and determine the trajectory for the five remaining vacant Assembly constituencies.