The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday, January 7 announced the date for the Erode East Assembly bypoll. The election will be held alongside the Delhi Assembly polls on February 5.
The bypoll would be the second by-election in two years. The seat fell vacant following the death of Congress veteran EVKS Elangovan on December 14, 2024.
Elangovan, grandnephew of social reformer Periyar EV Ramasamy, was elected to the seat in a bypoll held in early 2023. He had contested after the untimely demise of his son, Thirumagan Everaa, who passed away at the age of 46 due to a heart attack in January 2023.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin visited Erode district on December 19 and 20, 2024, to strengthen the party’s presence ahead of the bypoll and the 2026 Assembly elections.
During his visit, Stalin chaired a series of meetings with senior DMK functionaries and reviewed the party’s performance in Erode during the 2021 assembly elections.
According to DMK insiders, Stalin sought opinions on the choice of candidates for the Erode East bypoll. Tamil Nadu Minister and Erode South district secretary S Muthusamy reportedly informed the Chief Minister that after EVKS Elangovan and his family, no prominent Congress leader from Erode remains to contest the seat.
Muthusamy further conveyed that party cadres are eager for the DMK to contest the seat instead of fielding a Congress candidate.
Stalin instructed party workers to address the weaknesses in constituencies across the district, particularly those lost to the AIADMK or won by narrow margins.
Specific constituencies discussed during the review included Perundurai, which DMK failed to win in 2021; Anthiyur, where the DMK secured victory with a slim margin of 1,275 votes; Bhavanisagar, where the DMK ally CPI faced defeat.
The DMK has set an ambitious target of winning 200 out of the 234 seats in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. To achieve this, Stalin directed functionaries to prioritize solving local issues and strengthening the party’s base in vulnerable constituencies.
A special committee is expected to be formed to strategize and ensure victory in key constituencies in the Erode district.
Additionally, the DMK has appointed full-time coordinators for every assembly constituency. Senior leaders, including Deputy Chief Minister and Youth Wing leader Udhayanidhi Stalin and organizing Secretary R.S. Bharathi, are monitoring constituency-level activities.
The DMK-led alliance currently holds a combined 159 seats in the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly with DMK having 133 seats, Congress 18 seats, VCK 4 seats, CPI 2 seats, and CPI(M) 2 seats. The alliance secured an impressive vote share of 45.38 per cent in the previous state assembly elections.