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EPS Slams Vijay on Family Values, TVK Hits Back on Jayalalithaa

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AIADMK chief Palaniswami targeted Vijay's personal life in Dharapuram as the TVK fired back ahead of Tamil Nadu's October 6 bypolls in two Assembly seats.

The by-election contest for two Assembly seats in Tamil Nadu has turned sharply personal, with AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami attacking Chief Minister and TVK leader Vijay over his private life during a campaign appearance in Dharapuram, one of the AIADMK's strongholds.

Palaniswami cast the October 6 bypolls in Madurantakam and Dharapuram as a fight for justice and urged voters to hand the ruling TVK a firm defeat. His central grievance was the TVK's decision to field two former AIADMK legislators who resigned days after this year's Assembly election results and crossed over to the governing party.

Raising what he framed as questions of family values, Palaniswami challenged Vijay's public image directly. "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? Punch dialogues on stage are not enough. One should live it and demonstrate in real life. We do that," the AIADMK chief said.

The TVK responded quickly and pointedly. Party spokesperson M Sathya Kumar accused Palaniswami of resorting to personal jibes rather than examining why several of his own leaders had defected. He said the "Dravidian party takes things personally" and maintained that Vijay had never made personal remarks against opposition figures.

Sathya Kumar also went after the AIADMK's electoral standing since the death of former chief minister Jayalalithaa. "EPS hasn't won elections after Jayalalithaa's death. That's why AIADMK cadre switch to TVK," he said, tying the party's alleged decline directly to Palaniswami's leadership.

The two defectors at the centre of the fight

The dispute centres on the two former AIADMK MLAs who quit shortly after the Assembly results and joined the TVK. Their switch drew allegations of horse-trading, which the ruling party has denied. Both seats they represented are now up for grabs, and the AIADMK is fighting to hold on to constituencies it won at the general election.

For the AIADMK, retaining Madurantakam and Dharapuram is a matter of prestige. The DMK, meanwhile, is contesting without several of its earlier alliance partners, a number of whom have since joined the TVK or extended support to it.

Why the rural test matters for the TVK

The bypolls carry particular weight for the TVK. The party made strong gains in several urban pockets during the 2026 Assembly election but performed less well in rural areas. It is now trying to broaden its base in rural constituencies, where local and caste equations weigh heavily on outcomes.

Winning both seats would reinforce the TVK's standing as a minority government and set the tone for five more vacant Assembly constituencies, where by-elections are expected later. The results are also likely to be read as a verdict on the performance of the Vijay-led administration.

Alongside its rural push, the TVK is working to portray the AIADMK as a fading force under Palaniswami and to draw over its traditional supporters. The exchange over defections and family values reflects that broader contest for the AIADMK's voter base.

Vijay opened his campaign in Dharapuram last week and is due to return to the constituency on Wednesday, keeping the bypoll rivalry in the spotlight in the days before voting.

Tamil Nadu bypolls, Edappadi K Palaniswami, Vijay TVK, AIADMK, Dharapuram, Madurantakam bypoll, October 6 by-elections, M Sathya Kumar

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