AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Tuesday (September 8, 2026) announced that his party would field candidates in the bypoll to the Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly constituencies.

Pointing out that his party had bagged the two seats in the Assembly election, Mr. Palaniswami told reporters outside the Assembly chamber that the vacancies in the two constituencies had arisen because of the resignation of two legislators, who won on the AIADMK ticket and quit later due to “horse trading.”

Mr. Palaniswami complained that Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay and his government had not answered in the Assembly the questions raised by his party concerning the Police department.

Asked about his party legislator S.P. Velumani’s favourable assessment of the government, Mr. Palaniswami replied that while he did not want to go into the matter, he would say that the ruling party, which did not have sufficient strength in the House, was seeking to keep “in good humour” some members of the AIADMK. Certain parties that had supported the government were now criticising the regime, the AIADMK leader pointed out.

He questioned the need for implementing the new Secretariat-Assembly project and relocating the Chief Minister’s Office to the tenth floor of the Namakkal Kavignar Maaligai.