Voter turnout in the Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu dipped significantly in the bye-elections held on October 6, compared to the Assembly polls five months ago.
According to the figures reported by the Election Commission of India (ECI) website at 9 pm on the day, Madurantakam recorded an approximate turnout of 86.26%, against 93.22% in the Assembly election, with a drop of nearly 7%. Dharapuram recorded 80.30% polling, compared to 89.89% in the Assembly election, indicating a decline of nearly 9.5 percent
The bye-elections were necessitated after the sitting MLAs, who had won the seats on All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) tickets in the Assembly election, subsequently switched to the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). For the bye-elections, TVK fielded the same two candidates.
The bye-elections were held as a five-cornered contest between the ruling TVK, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), AIADMK, and Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK).
Left parties, despite their post-poll alliance with the TVK, fielded their own candidates. A Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] candidate contested in Madurantakam and the Communist Party of India (CPI) candidate contested in Dharapuram.
Madurantakam
Polling in Madurantakam, a reserved constituency in Chengalpattu district, was largely peaceful, despite a few reported glitches involving Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
At booth number 26 in Sithandi, the EVM’s control unit reportedly malfunctioned and had to be replaced twice, delaying the start of polling. At booth number 55 in Endathur, the ballot unit was reportedly replaced after polling agents objected to a mark visible on a candidate's name.
TVK candidate Maragatham Kumaravel, who had earlier won the seat as an AIADMK candidate, dismissed allegations that her party had distributed money to voters.
"TVK's policy is to provide a corruption-free and clean administration. How can people like us give money for votes? We have not given even one rupee. If you say we have given money somewhere, prove it," she said to reporters during her visit to polling booths.
Meanwhile, DMK candidate I Paranthamen expressed confidence that the constituency would vote for his party. Referring to the DMK's record of winning bye-elections when the AIADMK was in power, he said Madurantakam would repeat the history.
"The people of Madurantakam are waiting to give the DMK good news, you can see it in their faces," he said.
Paranthamen also responded to TVK leader Aadhav Arjuna's earlier challenge that he would resign his party post if the DMK won the Madurantakam bye-poll. "Tell him to keep his resignation letter ready on October 9," he said.
Chengalpattu Collector M Veerappan told media persons that polling was peaceful. After polling ended, the EVMs were sealed and shifted to the strong room at the Integrated Training Institute for Social Development in Athur.
Dharapuram
Dharapuram, which is also a reserved constituency in Tiruppur district recorded 80.30% polling, significantly lower than the 89.89% turnout recorded in the Assembly election.
The constituency has 2,23,306 voters. Polling was generally peaceful, although voting was temporarily halted at a booth in Kottapulipalayam after an EVM developed a technical problem and the issue was resolved immediately, according to reports.
Another incident was reported at booth number 137 in Chokkanathapalayam in Kolinjivadi, where an elderly voter alleged that a booth-level official assigned to apply indelible ink had misled her while assisting with voting.
The 82-year-old voter, G Saithoon Beevi, had asked for the DMK’s Rising Sun symbol.The official allegedly pointed her towards the second button, bearing the the TVK’s Whistle symbol. However, according to reports, Beevi voted for the Rising Sun.
Following a demand by DMK polling agents, voting was halted for about an hour. Returning Officer A Felix Raja reached the booth, conducted an inquiry and replaced the election official with another staff member.
The TVK candidate Sathyabama had won the seat in the Assembly election as an AIADMK candidate, securing 40.56% of the 1,99,944 votes polled. The TVK's Gowri Chitra had finished third in that election with 46,438 votes, with 23.23%, while DMK candidate T Indirani secured 63,336 votes, accounting for 32.2%.
The DMK is now contesting the bye-election without the support of its allies such as left parties, Congress, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).
After voting, Sathyabama said the TVK government's schemes had reached people, particularly women, and expressed confidence that voters would back the government.
DMK candidate Suganya said people were disappointed with the TVK government and would return to the "Dravidian Model" of governance.
AIADMK candidate Banumathi said Dharapuram had traditionally been a stronghold of her party and said the people will teach the TVK candidate “a fitting lesson over her betrayal”.
Poll expenditure row
The Dharapuram bye-election also saw a controversy over an alleged disclosure of campaign expenditure by Sathyabama.
A video circulating on social media purportedly showed Sathyabama saying that around Rs 14 lakh had been spent on logistics during the current bye-election, including hotel accommodation for visiting ministers, flight tickets for alliance party leaders and other payments related to the election.
In the same video, she was also heard saying that she had spent Rs 31 crore during the previous Assembly election and adding that she had not given any money in return.
DMK deputy organisation secretary and MLA S Austin lodged a complaint with Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik, seeking action against Sathyabama for alleged non-disclosure of election expenditure and violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).
Austin asked the ECI to direct the Expenditure Monitoring Cell, the District Election Officer and the Returning Officer to verify Sathyabama's day-to-day expenditure registers and check whether the alleged Rs 14 lakh expenditure had been declared.
Candidates contesting Assembly elections are permitted to incur election expenditure of up to Rs 40 lakh.
Austin said that if the expenditure was found to have been omitted from the account, action should be initiated under the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for allegedly filing false expenditure statements.
He also said that if the Rs 31 crore claim was established, it could attract disqualification from contesting elections for three years and a six-month prison term.
Sathyabama denied the allegations and said the video had been doctored. Public Works Department Minister Aadhav Arjuna also dismissed the video as “AI-generated.”
"I can also release a video tomorrow morning claiming that MK Stalin had spent Rs 1,000 crore for the elections. Can't you understand the intent behind the release of that video at 10 am today?" he alleged.
After polling ended, the EVMs and voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) units were sealed and shifted to the strong room at LRG Government Arts and Science College in Tiruppur.
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