Tamil Nadu's ruling DMK appears headed for a decisive victory in the Erode East bye-election after fifteen rounds of counting. DMK senior leader and former MLA VC Chandhirakumar has secured 1,02,677 votes, while his opponent, MK Seethalakshmi of the Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK), has received only 21,815 votes as of 5:00 PM.
With this, Chandhirakumar has established a lead of 80,862 votes. The counting process consists of 17 rounds across 15 tables. Each table has a counting supervisor, a counting assistant, and a micro observer, all of whom were assigned through a random selection process.
While 46 candidates, including Independents, contested the bye-election, the race primarily turned into a two-way battle between DMK and NTK. The constituency recorded a voter turnout of 67.97 per cent, with 1,54,657 people casting their votes.
The AIADMK, the BJP, the DMDK, and Tamil superstar Vijay’s newly-formed political outfit, TVK, did not contest the elections.
The NTK, led by Seeman, focused its campaign on harsh criticism of Dravidian icon Periyar, alongside attacks on the DMK government. In contrast, the DMK centred its campaign on highlighting the achievements of the state government.
While the election process remained largely peaceful, tensions escalated between NTK and Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam (TPDK) cadres. Following an altercation, police registered multiple cases against Seeman, NTK candidate Seethalakshmi, and several party workers for violating campaign curfews, blocking roads, and assaulting TPDK members.
This bye-election came at a critical time for the DMK government, which has been under scrutiny due to recent controversies, including the Anna University sexual assault case and concerns over law and order in Tamil Nadu.
The bye-election was necessitated by the passing of veteran Congress leader EVKS Elangovan, who had won the seat in the 2023 by-election following the untimely demise of his son, Thirumahan Everaa, due to a heart attack that year. In the 2023 bye-election, Elangovan secured a massive victory with a margin of 66,233 votes, defeating AIADMK’s KS Thenarassu, while NTK candidate Menaka Navaneethan managed to secure 10,827 votes.