Viralimalai

Madras High Court has extended its temporary hold on by-elections for five Tamil Nadu Assembly constituencies. A final hearing is set for September 28. This affects Tiruchirappalli East, Karur, Viralimalai, Perundurai, and Ambasamudram.

Reason for the delay

These seats became empty after Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay resigned from one of the two seats he won. Also, four other MLAs left their parties to join Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam. K Venkatachalapathy filed a case, which led the court to pause the process until the election petitions are resolved.

Election Commission of India is going ahead with by-elections for Maduranthakam and Dharapuram. Voting for these two seats happens on October 6, and results will be announced on October 9.

Legal cases are holding up the election process for five Tamil Nadu assembly seats. Madras High Court is looking into petitions against the results of the April assembly elections. Because of this, Election Commission has paused by-elections for Tiruchi East, Karur, Viralimalai, Perundurai, and Ambasamudram.

Status of pending by-elections

Election Commission is moving ahead with bypolls for Madurantakam and Dharapuram on October 6. The other five seats remain on hold. Election Commission confirmed it will not announce these elections until the court cases finish. This is a difficult situation for local voters waiting for official representation.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay has asked the Madras High Court to lift the stay on by-elections for five vacant Assembly seats. These seats are Tiruchy East, Karur, Viralimalai, Perundurai, and Ambasamudram.

This legal issue started when a resident of Palayamkottai filed a case. The court then stopped the Election Commission from announcing the polls. The Chief Minister states that this delay leaves lakhs of voters without representation. He believes this goes against public interest.

Legal argument

In his court filing, the Chief Minister noted that he resigned from the Tiruchy East seat before anyone filed an election petition. He also pointed out that the current case has no real basis. The person who filed it is not even a voter from that constituency. The government now wants the court to dismiss the case. This would allow the election process to move forward under the Representation of the People Act.

Legal cases have paused assembly bypolls for five areas in Tamil Nadu. Madras High Court extended its temporary stay until September 8. Election Commission of India confirmed it will not call for elections while these cases are still in court.

Affected areas include Trichy East, Viralimalai, Perundurai, Ambasamudram, and Karur.

Review of election disputes

Court is looking into challenges against 2026 assembly results. This includes a petition from DMK leader MK Stalin about Kolathur constituency. Stalin has questions about the use of electronic voting machines and VVPATs. He wants a recount and a ruling that the original result was not valid.

State government asked for an early hearing to lift the stay. Still, the court decided to keep the order in place to settle all legal issues first.

Madras High Court extended the stay on bypolls for five Tamil Nadu assembly constituencies until September 8. This happens because of ongoing legal cases about the 2026 assembly election results. Election Commission of India will not announce these elections while the court is still looking into the petitions.

Affected Constituencies

Constituencies waiting for updates include Trichy East, Viralimalai, Perundurai, Ambasamudram, and Karur. The court refused to lift the stay even though the state government asked for it. Former Chief Minister MK Stalin also filed a petition about the election results in Kolathur, where he raised concerns about electronic voting machines.

Election proceedings are now on hold. Madras High Court extended its stay on notifying bypolls for five assembly seats until September 8. This happens while several election petitions are waiting for court review.

Election Commission of India confirmed it will wait to send notifications while these legal cases are active. Affected areas are Tiruchy East, Viralimalai, Perundurai, Ambasamudram, and Karur.

Political challenges

Political tension is high in Kolathur. MK Stalin filed a petition challenging the win of TVK candidate VS Babu. Stalin claims there were irregularities with EVM and VVPAT machines during the 2026 assembly elections. He is asking for a full recount of the votes.