India, Oct. 9 -- Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) founder C Joseph Vijay on Friday attributed his party's victories in the Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly bypolls to what he called the DMK's "defamatory speech aimed at women" and the "betrayal" of AIADMK leaders M G Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa.

Congratulating TVK nominees Maragatham Kumaravel and P Sathyabama, Vijay said the results reflected voters' response to the two issues.

The Election Commission declared Sathyabama the winner in Dharapuram, where she defeated her nearest DMK rival, S Suganya, by 9,471 votes. The official declaration for Madurantakam was still awaited, though Kumaravel appeared headed for a decisive victory.

Vijay's remarks app...