Sathyabama submitted her nomination at the district election office on Wednesday, September 16, accompanied by TVK general secretary and Water Resources Minister N. Anand as well as ministers K.G. Arunraj, K.A. Sengottaiyan, M. Vijay Balaji, S. Kamali and D. Logesh Tamilselvan, along with representatives of alliance parties.
Speaking to reporters, Sathyabama said she quit the AIADMK legislative seat because of the party’s proposed alliance with the DMK and what she described as AIADMK chief Edappadi K. Palaniswami’s alleged plan to become chief minister with DMK support, arguing that such a move betrayed the voters’ mandate that favoured the TVK.
Other candidates also filed nominations on the same day, including AIADMK’s K. Bhanumathi, CPI’s P. Lakshmanan, NTK’s M. Karthika and independent aspirants, while DMK’s S. Suganya (34) lodged her papers in the presence of DMK deputy general secretary and former minister M.P. Saminathan.
Saminathan urged voters to reject Sathyabama, accusing her of abandoning the seat after winning it on an AIADMK ticket and alleging that the TVK government had failed to deliver promised benefits.
The Election Commission has set September 17 for scrutiny of nominations, September 19 as the last date for withdrawal, October 6 for polling and October 9 for counting. The by‑election was triggered by Sathyabama’s resignation.