All arrangements are in place for the bypoll campaign of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) founder and Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay in the Dharapuram Assembly constituency, party sources said on Wednesday.
Vijay is expected to begin his campaign at around 3 pm in Dharapuram, a constituency in western Tamil Nadu that has traditionally been an AIADMK stronghold.
The campaign has drawn particular attention as Vijay has repeatedly positioned himself as the political successor to the welfare legacy associated with iconic AIADMK leaders M G Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa.
During his campaign in the Madurantakam constituency days ago, Vijay said that, following MGR and Jayalalithaa, he was opposing the “evil force DMK”. Madurantakam will also go to the polls alongside Dharapuram on October 6.
The TVK’s campaign assumes significance in western Tamil Nadu, which has traditionally been regarded as an AIADMK stronghold. The party was pushed to third place in Dharapuram in the 2026 Assembly election.
The bypolls were necessitated by the resignations of AIADMK MLAs K Maragatham Kumaravel from Madurantakam and P Sathyabama from Dharapuram, who subsequently joined the ruling TVK.
The two former AIADMK functionaries have been renominated by the TVK from Madurantakam and Dharapuram respectively.
In the 2021 Assembly election, Tamil Nadu BJP leader L Murugan, who was then the state BJP president, was defeated in Dharapuram by DMK candidate N Kayalvizhi by a margin of 1,393 votes. The BJP had contested the election in alliance with the AIADMK.
In the 2026 Assembly election, the AIADMK secured 40.56 per cent of the vote in the reserved Dharapuram constituency and emerged victorious. The DMK polled 32.20 per cent, while the TVK finished third with 23.23 per cent.
Unlike conventional campaign meetings, where leaders address crowds from a stage or conduct roadshows in vehicles, Vijay has largely relied on a specially designed campaign vehicle for his public outreach programmes and election campaigns.
His bus, which has been converted into a motorhome, has become a prominent feature of his campaigns and has already arrived at the sprawling venue in Dharapuram.
Vijay is scheduled to leave Chennai at 11.45 am on a special flight to Coimbatore, from where he will travel by road to Dharapuram.
Police said elaborate security arrangements had been made for the meeting, with around 3,000 personnel deployed.
The TVK has said entry to the venue will be restricted to people holding QR-code passes. According to the party, only 5,000 people with valid passes will be allowed to attend the event.
Vijay will address the campaign at Chitravuthanpalayam in Dharapuram, which falls under Tiruppur district.
The party has advised pregnant women, children, school students, senior citizens, people with disabilities and those with underlying health conditions not to attend the rally.
Arrangements have also been made to provide basic amenities, including drinking water, while medical teams have been deployed at the venue.
(With inputs from PTI)