Erode: The ruling DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) on Thursday retained the Erode East bypoll segment in this western Tamil Nadu town with an emphatic win against the K Palaniswami-led AIADMK, prompting Chief Minister M K Stalin to bill it as an endorsement of his near two year-old government’s “Dravidian model” of governance.
Palaniswami charged the ruling dispensation with “misuse of authority, money power and violence” to win the election.
Setting a record of sorts, SPA candidate EVKS Elangovan of the Congress received more than one lakh of the around 1.70 lakh votes polled on February 27, galloping ahead of his nearest AIADMK rival KS Thennarasu by around 66,000 votes.
At the end of 15 rounds of counting, Elangovan, a former TNCC president and ex-union minister, polled a little over 1.10 lakh votes, becoming the first candidate to cross the one lakh votes mark in the constituency, since its creation in 2010 following the delimitation excercise.
Thennarasu, a former legislator from here, got around 44,000 votes, according to Election authorities.
Nam Tamizhar Katchi’s Meneka Navaneethan and DMDK’s Anand forfeited deposit.
A total of 77 candidates were in the fray.
Much prestige was invested by both the DMK and its archrival AIADMK in the fiercely contested electoral battle as this was the first by-poll since the former came to power in 2021, and a year ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
With the “historic and grand win”, the ground was being prepared for an even bigger victory of the SPA in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Stalin told reporters in Chennai.
“During the campaign I repeatedly sought people’s support for the Dravidian model of governance. People have given a verdict saying it should be done with more vigour,” he said.
DMK pitches the Dravidian model of governance as an inclusive development model.
“I sought an endorsement of the DMK government’s Dravidian model and asked them to gauge our government. People have gauged and have strengthened this government,” he added.
Elangovan lauded the honest and sincere propaganda work by the DMK Ministers and members of the party for his victory. He assured that as MLA he would implement all required developmental works in the constituency with the help of the CM.
S Muthusamy, Tamil Nadu Minister for Urban Development and Housing and a local strongman, said the victory showed the public faith in the incumbent government. DMK and Congress supporters celebrated Elangovan’s win.
Palaniswami, in a statement, thanked those who had voted for his party and levelled allegations of irregularities against the DMK to win the bypoll.
Various instances of alleged irregularities, including ‘herding’ of people by the DMK during campaign was taken up with the authorities concerned by the AIADMK, but to no avail, he said.
“Atrocities and fascist procedures will not win forever; will soon perish,” he said.
A distraught Thennarasu alleged money power won and claimed “democracy lost”.
Though rival AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam initially fielded his nominee, he later withdrew him.
BJP state president K Annamalai said he did not see the win as an endorsement of the government’s performance and indicated factors like “sympathy” were also there, apparently referring to Elangovan being the father of deceased Congress MLA E Thirumahan Everaa, whose demise in January necessitated the bypoll.
People might have preferred the ruling coalition nominee knowing that his defeat would not make much difference.
As many as 18 Congress MLAs were elected in the 2021 polls and the strength came down by one due to the vacancy created following Thirumahan Everaa’s death. Its strength will now be 18 again, in the 234-member DMK-dominated House.
AIADMK has a total of 66 legislators.
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