Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and TVK founder C Joseph Vijay will campaign for the party’s bypoll candidate in Dharapuram on Wednesday, addressing a rally at Chitravuthanpalayam from 3 pm. Entry is restricted to 5,000 people with QR-code passes. The bypoll, necessitated by the resignation of AIADMK MLA P Sathyabama who later joined the TVK, will be held on October 6 along with Madurantakam. Dharapuram has been an AIADMK stronghold in western Tamil Nadu; in the 2026 assembly election, the AIADMK won 40.56 per cent of votes there, the DMK 32.2 per cent and the TVK 23.23 per cent. About 3,000 police personnel have been deployed for the rally. Vijay positions himself as the successor to the welfare legacy of M G Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa. Context: The TVK came to power in Tamil Nadu after winning the 2026 assembly election, ending the DMK’s rule. The bypoll outcome will be seen as an early test of the TVK government’s popularity.