The bypolls in Tamil Nadu are not surprising considering the record of the last 65 years. In fact, in three out of four by-elections, the party in power or its allies won. Hence, the bypoll is hardly a cause for excitement. However, the February 27 bypoll for Erode (East) is anything but dull.
In fact, the Election Commission’s announcement of a by-election in mid-January had also surprised many parties – the seat fell vacant in the first week of the month following the sudden death of Congress MLA and former state Congress president EVKS Elangovan’s son. Thi , E. Thirumahan Evra. The party fielded Mr. Elangovan despite his reported reluctance to field him and appealed to the leadership to nominate his second son E. Sanjay Sampath. Party’s Erode district president Makkal G. There was at least one more strong aspirant in the form of Rajan.
This by-election is the first test for the DMK after coming to power in May 2021. Almost all ministers and senior officials have been groomed for election work. The poll workers are largely from the DMK, while the Congress and some other alliance partners support them in their own way.
While Mr. Sampath accompanies ministers during their door-to-door campaigning, Mr. Elangovan, a seventy-year-old, covers the constituency in the evenings. Housing and Urban Development Minister S. Muthusamy, who represents Erode (West), is leading his party colleagues and others in the DMK-led front.
bank on goodwill
Counting on the goodwill earned by Thirumahan Evra, the Congress leader emphasizes that people’s faith in Chief Minister MK Stalin is another factor that counts in his favour. Appreciating the way the DMK ministers and office-bearers have worked for him, Mr. Elangovan points out that it is as if the candidate belongs to his party. He said, “I am confident of registering a historic victory…”
It’s not going to be easy for him: Issues like hike in electricity charges and poor condition of roads vex voters. Mr. Rajan, a prominent local Congress functionary, acknowledges the discontent of the people. However, “they are convinced when we tell them the facts and assure them that the roads will be re-laid after the bypolls.” He said that there is no difference between DMK and Congress. What should add to Mr Elangovan’s comfort is the support of actor Kamal Haasan-led Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM), as the party secured 10,005 votes in 2021, about 6.6% of the vote share.
The story of the opposition front led by the AIADMK has been no less exciting. Soon after the bypoll was announced, the principal opposition party lost no time in persuading one of its allies, the Tamil Maanila Congress (Moopanar), to give it the seat, as the AIADMK, interim general secretary Edappadi K. Under Palaniswami’s leadership, sees the bypolls as a chance to improve its image. (TMC(M)’s M. Yuvraj was fielded on the AIADMK symbol in the 2021 assembly elections). There is a popular belief that K. The BJP, under Annamalai’s leadership, is growing at the expense of the AIADMK, said senior party functionary and former finance minister C. Ponnaiah at a workshop in May last year.
There was much drama with ousted AIADMK coordinator O Panneerselvam deciding to field a candidate from his group as well, even offering to pull out in the event of the BJP’s entry. He announced the candidature of B Senthil Murugan, a newcomer, while the Palaniswami camp put up two-time MLA KS Thennarasu. Meanwhile, Mr Palaniswami has approached the Supreme Court to direct the Election Commission to recognize his present position.
February 3 was an eventful day, both in Chennai and in New Delhi. CT Ravi, BJP national general secretary and in-charge of Tamil Nadu, along with Mr. Annamalai, met Mr. Palaniswami and Mr. Panneerselvam separately in Chennai to stress on the need for them to work together as a “united AIADMK”. The Supreme Court gave an unusual solution to address the issue raised by Mr. Palaniswami – it ordered that the general council of the party be convened to choose a candidate; And a resolution must be adopted by the circulation. It said Panneerselvam and his supporters should be given a chance to cast their vote. The court made it clear that this arrangement is only for the Erode (East) by-election. After receiving feedback from a majority of general council members (2,501 out of 2,665 members, according to former law minister C.V. Shanmugam), the party’s presidium chairman A.K. Tamilmagan Hussain handed over the relevant documents to the Election Commission officials in New Delhi. On 6 February. The same day in Chennai, Mr. Panneerselvam announced the withdrawal of his candidate. The next day, the BJP state president called upon his party leaders and cadre to work “without sleeping” for Mr. Thennarasu’s victory. A few days later, election officials officially recognized Mr. Thennarasu as the AIADMK candidate, allotting him the party’s ‘two leaves’ symbol.
no bjp flag
On February 9, when Mr. Thennarasu was formally introduced at a meeting addressed by Mr. Palaniswami and attended by leaders of AIADMK allies, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s picture was prominently displayed on the dais. However, the opposition front’s campaign featured images of BJP leaders themselves, or even the party flag, cropped up, while the flags of the Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) and other allies were visible. However, Mr Palaniswami’s assertion in Tirunelveli on Friday that the AIADMK’s alliance with the BJP would continue till the 2024 Lok Sabha polls should make the opposition front more cohesive than in the past.
The AIADMK candidate, who pointed out that the ruling party has “disappointed” people by not fulfilling various promises, including exempting the state from the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), is trying to woo voters. saying that he “remains and will always be accessible” unlike his primary rival. Even though senior leaders and office-bearers of the AIADMK are elated with the party getting the ‘two leaves’ election symbol, there is unease in sections of the cadre who believe that a power struggle between Mr Palaniswami and his camp and Legal battle is going on. Mr Panneerselvam is far from over, given that the Supreme Court has only provided an interim relief.
Another opinion within the party is that keeping the symbol intact has infused new energy among the workers. Besides, the organization is counting on the experience and networking skills of veteran leader and former school education minister KA Sengottaiyan, who is the team leader, to pull off an upset in the bypoll. It is clear to everyone in the party that Mr. Palaniswami’s position has been strengthened in the current circumstances. The importance of the main opposition party achieving the ‘two leaves’ symbol in the midst of the DMK-led front has not been noticed. “We need to work hard for a big win in the coming days,” quipped Mr. Rajan.
Apart from the two main contenders, Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) S. Anand and Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK)’s Menaka are among the 77 candidates in the fray. Mr Anand refers to the “anti-incumbency” factor that is working against the ruling DMK which, he argues, has failed to deliver on many of its promises. Moreover, no development work has been done in the constituency in the last 20 months. Referring to several protests organized by his party, Mr Anand is confident of “overcoming all challenges” from the DMK-led front and the AIADMK.
Ms Maneka insists that her party is a “credible alternative” to the major players. Their campaign pitch is that the AIADMK is a “party in decline”, despite the ruling party’s performance in implementing its poll promises leaving much to be desired. Referring to her party getting 11,629 votes in 2021 with 7.65% vote share, she says, “We are confident of expanding our base.”
The presence of Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) led by former RK Nagar MLA and ex-MP TTV Dhinakaran in the contest could have added to the sense of excitement. But Mr Dhinakaran decided to withdraw his candidate AM Shiv Prashant on the ground that the Election Commission had refused to allot the ‘pressure cooker’ symbol to his party.
Residents of the Erode (East) constituency, created after the 2008 delimitation, complained that they were suffering from the ill-effects of pollution, over a number of issues – the discharge of untreated effluents by textile processing units into the Cauvery and the Kalingarayan canal. With an electorate of 2,26,876, the constituency, in terms of social mix, has two communities of more or less equal strength – Senguntha Mudaliar and Kongu Vellala Gounder – with around 30% each. There are others like Arunthathiyar, Nayakar, Muslim and Christian. Interestingly, migrants from North India are estimated to constitute around 3% of the electorate. The constituency is said to have around 15,000 state government employees, and a large number of commercial establishments, turmeric and textile processing units. Caste is not expected to play a significant role in this election.
As bye-elections have become synonymous with money power, election officials are taking steps to ensure free and fair polling. On February 10, Rs 24.70 lakh in unaccounted cash, liquor bottles worth Rs 57,490 and tobacco and ganja worth Rs 18,653 were seized in the absence of supporting documents. Only on March 2, the day of counting, what decided the result – political or non-political issues – will become clear.
(With inputs from SP Saravanan in Erode)