CAMPAIGN NEWS

Two Assembly seats can seem small in a state as politically active as Tamil Nadu. Yet bypolls often do more than fill vacancies. They test party discipline, local networks, caste and community equations, and the mood of voters between larger elections. The AIADMK’s decision to announce candidates for the Madurantakam and Dharapuram bypolls gives the party’s campaign a formal starting point. It also turns attention to two constituencies that carry distinct local concerns, even