- Edappadi K Palaniswami criticised chief minister Vijay's family values during the Dharapuram bypoll campaign
- Palaniswami urged voters to punish TVK for fielding ex-AIADMK MLAs who switched parties
- TVK accused AIADMK of personal attacks and highlighted EPS' poor post-Jayalalithaa record
The by-election battle for two Assembly seats in Tamil Nadu is turning increasingly personal, with AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami taking a swipe at Chief Minister and TVK chief Vijay's personal life during his campaign in stronghold Dharapuram.
Palaniswami has described the bypolls as a battle for justice and has appealed to voters to teach the ruling TVK a fitting lesson, targeting the party for fielding former AIADMK MLAs who resigned after the Assembly elections earlier this year and switched to the ruling party.
Seeking to target Vijay over what he described as questions of family values, Palaniswami said, "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 remarks triggered a sharp response from the TVK, which accused the AIADMK chief of making personal remarks instead of introspecting on why several of his party leaders have switched to the ruling party.
TVK spokesperson M Sathya Kumar said the "Dravidian party takes things personally" and claimed that Vijay had never made personal remarks against opposition leaders.
He also targeted Palaniswami over the AIADMK's electoral record after the death of former chief minister Jayalalithaa.
"EPS hasn't won elections after Jayalalithaa's death. That's why AIADMK cadre switch to TVK," Sathya Kumar said.
The bitter exchange comes as the TVK government seeks to improve its tally in the October 6 by-elections to Madurantakam and Dharapuram.
The ruling party has fielded two former AIADMK MLAs who resigned days after the Assembly election results and joined the TVK. The move triggered allegations of horse-trading, which the ruling party has denied.
The AIADMK, meanwhile, is fighting to retain the two seats it had won in the Assembly elections.
The contests are particularly significant for the TVK, which performed strongly in several urban pockets in the 2026 Assembly election but was weaker in rural areas. The party is now seeking to expand its support in rural constituencies where local and caste equations play a significant role.
The TVK is also seeking to project the AIADMK as a declining force under Palaniswami's leadership and attract its traditional voters.
For the TVK, winning both seats would strengthen its position as a minority government and would set the tone for the remaining five vacant Assembly constituencies, where by-elections are expected later.
The results could also be seen as a referendum on the performance of the Vijay-led government.
For the AIADMK, retaining the seats is a prestige battle, while the DMK is contesting without its previous alliance partners, several of whom have now joined or extended support to the TVK.
Vijay, who launched his campaign in Dharapuram last week, is scheduled to campaign there again on Wednesday.
