Erode East by-poll result: Counting begins

India

oi-Prakash KL

The counting of votes for the Erode (East) assembly by-poll result began at 8 am on Thursday.

Nearly 75 per cent of the 2.27 lakh voters cast their votes in the Erode East by-election held in Tamil Nadu on Monday.

The Impact of By Poll Result
While the bypoll result would have no immediate impact on the State’s present political landscape, it could set the tone for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

The election was necessitated due to the death of Elangovan’s son and Congress legislator E Thirumahan Everaa in January this year.

While 77 candidates are in fray, the battle is likely confined between the Congress and AIADMK. Naam Tamizhar Katchi’s Meneka Navaneethan is among the other candidates.

The outcome of the election, the first since the DMK came to power in 2021, will have no major bearing on the existing strength of the respective parties in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly, but is being seen as an indicator of the ruling party’s popularity, especially with the LS elections slated next year.

Eighteen Congress MLAs were elected to the House in 2021 but the DMK ally’s strength came down by 1 due to the vacancy following Thirumahan Everaa’s death.

The Palaniswami-led AIADMK, the main Opposition party in the Assembly has a strength of 66 MLAs and a win here would be a morale booster to the party ahead of the hustings in 2024. The Supreme Court had last week allowed him to continue as the party’ interim chief, seen as a shot in arm for Palaniswami.

The AIADMK’s performance could inspire Palaniswami and his leadership team, which is facing a legal battle led by O Panneerselvam against his expulsion.

The constituency has 2,27,547 voters and women (1,16,497) are more than men (1,11,025) and 25 fall under the third gender category. The total number of polling stations is 238. Votes will be counted on March 2.

DMK president and Chief Minister MK Stalin had appealed to the people to consider the bypoll as an opportunity to evaluate the good performance of his government which delivered on its promises and vote for his party’s ally the Congress.

AIADMK top leader K Palaniswami squarely blamed the ruling party over a host of issues, including rise in electricity tariff and not getting NEET exemption for Tamil Nadu as assured and appealed to the people to teach the ruling party a fitting lesson by voting for his party’s ‘Two leaves’ symbol.

With inputs from PTI