Udhayanidhi booked for involving minor in poll campaign

TIRUPPUR

Tiruppur District Police on Sunday registered a case against Tamil Nadu Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin for allegedly involving a minor in an election campaign for the Dharapuram by-election. The case relates to a campaign meeting held near the Periyar statue in Dharapuram town on Saturday. According to police, Udhayanidhi made a minor boy get onto a campaign van and speak during the meeting. While speaking, the boy made remarks against Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, including the words “Om Kali. Bhadra Kali...”. Police said the incident violated Election Commission guidelines that prohibit children from participating in election-related activities. They also alleged that the child was made to speak in a manner insulting the Chief Minister. Udhayanidhi was campaigning for DMK candidate Advocate S Suganya in Nochipalayam, seeking support for her in the October 6 by-election. He said the DMK had represented the Dharapuram constituency in the Legislative Assembly from 2021 to 2026, although voters had not given the party victory in the latest election. The bypoll was necessitated after AIADMK MLA P Sathyabama resigned in May 2026, days after winning the seat in the Assembly elections. She later joined the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam and is contesting the bypoll as its candidate. The constituency is reserved for Scheduled Castes and is located in Tiruppur district. The contest includes candidates from TVK, DMK, AIADMK, CPI and NTK. P Sathyabama, S Suganya, K Bhanumathi, P Lakshmanan and M Karthika are in the fray respectively. Voting is scheduled for October 6, with counting on October 9. The bypoll is being closely watched as an important electoral test for the TVK government. The case adds another controversy to this closely watched bypoll.