# Madras HC extends bypoll stay, Stalin challenges Kolathur loss 2026-08-24T23:56:26+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet The Madras high court on Monday extended its interim stay on notifying bypolls for five Tamil Nadu assembly seats until September 8, after the Election Commission said it would wait for pending election petitions to conclude. The court rejected the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam government's plea to vacate the stay. The five constituencies are Tiruchy East, Viralimalai, Perundurai, Ambasamudram and Karur. Chief minister C Joseph Vijay had won the Tiruchy East seat and vacated it, necessitating a bypoll. In a separate petition, former chief minister MK Stalin of the DMK filed an election petition challenging TVK candidate VS Babu's victory in the Kolathur seat. Stalin lost the seat, his stronghold for three terms, by 8,795 votes in the 2026 assembly elections. Citing alleged VVPAT malfunctions, Stalin has sought a recount and a declaration that his own election be upheld. The high court will hear both matters in September. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The case is built on Section 81 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, which allows any candidate or voter to challenge an election outcome in the high court. For the bypolls to be notified, the ECI must first see these petitions disposed of. With five constituencies hung up, including the CM's own former seat, the delay tests the TVK government's legislative majority. Meanwhile Stalin's petition under the same Act seeks a recount based on VVPAT mismatch allegations, a ground the Supreme Court has repeatedly examined. The high court will hear both matters on September 8. ## Coverage - hindustantimes.com Leads with stay extension but adds Stalin petition as second story, neutral procedural reporting This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: C Joseph Vijay, DMK, Election Commission of India, Madras High Court, MK Stalin, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/madras-hc-extends-bypoll-stay-stalin-challenges-kolathur-loss/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/madras-hc-extends-bypoll-stay-stalin-challenges-kolathur-loss/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/