Tamil Nadu bypolls: DMK urges Election Commission to cancel TVK’s list of star campaigners from other parties

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DMK organisation secretary R.S. Bharathi. File | Photo Credit: Bijoy Ghosh

DMK organisation secretary R.S. Bharathi on Monday (September 21, 2026) submitted a complaint to the Election Commission of India, urging it to immediately cancel the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam’s (TVK) list of star campaigners hailing from other political parties for the upcoming byelections to the Maduranthagam and Dharapuram Assembly constituencies. The DMK contended this was contrary to provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and the Model Code of Conduct.

The TVK has named Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president Manickam Tagore, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) leader Thol. Thirumavalavan, Minister Vanni Arasu (VCK), D. Ravikumar (VCK MP), senior VCK leader Sinthanai Selvan, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) general secretary Vaiko, the party’s MP Durai Vaiko, and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leader K.M. Kader Mohideen in its list of “star campaigners.”

In his complaint to Chief Electoral Officer of Tamil Nadu Archana Patnaik, Mr. Bharathi said Section 77(1) of the Representation of the People Act used the expressions “leaders of a political party” and “of that political party” in providing for the exemption of their travel expenses from being included in the election expenditure accounts of individual candidates.

“According to these statutory provisions, a political party can designate only its own leaders and office-bearers as star campaigners. There is no provision under the law permitting a party to list leaders or office-bearers of another recognised political party as its own star campaigners,” he said.

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Mr. Bharathi pointed out that, in accordance with the guidelines issued periodically by the Election Commission of India, a political party was required to list only its own leaders to campaign for its candidates. Even in the case of alliance partners, he said, declaring a leader of one party as the official “star campaigner” of another party amounted to misuse of the exemption from election expenditure.

He said recognising individuals from other parties as a party’s star campaigners created a risk of campaign expenses, including travel and accommodation, being unlawfully exempted instead of being debited to the election expenditure limits of candidates in the respective constituencies.

“This completely undermines a level playing field. Furthermore, I wish to emphasise here that this runs entirely contrary to the Election Commission’s foundational principle of conducting free and fair elections,” he said.

Mr. Bharathi also urged the Election Commission to issue directions to ensure that, if leaders of other parties campaigned for TVK candidates, all associated expenses were fully included in the individual candidates’ election expenditure accounts.

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