Chennai: About 80% of the more than 22,000 eligible voters participated in the Erode East by-election held in Tamil Nadu on Monday, and the voting was peaceful, according to officials. However, the election campaign was marked by controversy and violence.
At of 5 p.m., according to Tamil Nadu’s chief election officer Satyabrata Sahoo, the voter turnout was 79.58 percent. The polls opened at 7 a.m. and closed at 6 p.m.
Although there are 77 contestants, the by-election is between Congress candidate EVKS Elangovan and AIADMK candidate K S Thennarasu. Naam Tamilar Katchi’s Menkaka Navaneethan is the sole female candidate, although actor-turned-politician Vijayankanth’s Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam’s (DMDK) S Anand is also running.
The DMK-led coalition fielded Congress candidate Elangovan following the January death of his son and MLA Thirumahan Everaa’, which prompted this by-election. Elangovan expressed confidence to reporters after casting his ballot that 80% of the population would have voted for the ‘hand sign’ because it represented a secular coalition. “When they announced my name, the electorate had already decided to vote for secularism. The victory will boost the 20-month-old government of chief minister M K Stalin, according to Elangovan. “Similarly, the outcomes will be a result of Rahul Gandhi’s (Bharat Jodo) yatra,” the candidate for the Congress stated. This is also a forerunner to the elections for the Lok Sabha in 2024.
The AIADMK argued that the voting ink is of inferior quality and is easily removable. “We’ve heard complaints concerning the ink,” Thenarrasu told reporters, adding that the matter would be reported. He predicted a victory by a margin of 25,000 votes.
S Inbaraj of the AIADMK filed a complaint with the election commission on the ink. Returning officer K Sivakumar informed the media that they are utilising the ink provided by the Election Commission of India, and when questioned, they found no issues with it.
The district collector of Erode, H Krishnanunni, who was among the first voters, stated that voting was conducted without incident. He stated that EVMs were replaced in five locations due to faults. More than 1,500 local police officers and close to 700 CRPF soldiers were deployed to maintain law and order.
238 voting stations were set up for the by-election, which was campaigned for by high-ranking members of all political parties.
While the outcome of the byelection will not immediately affect the state’s political environment, it could set the tone for the Lok Sabha elections in 2024.
Stalin, president and chief minister of the DMK, had urged the electorate to view the by-election as a chance to judge the performance of his administration, which had kept its promises and to vote for his party’s ally, the Congress. K Palaniswami, the top leader of the AIADMK, blamed the ruling party for a variety of issues, including the increase in electricity tariff and the failure to secure NEET exemption for Tamil Nadu as promised, and he urged the people to teach the ruling party a lesson by voting for his party’s ‘two leaves symbol.
The returning officer, K Sivakumar, stated that the election was held and concluded without incident.
A portion of voters in polling places who were in line by 6 p.m. was given tokens and allowed to vote. Following the conclusion of voting, police and paramilitary troops conducted a march to instil confidence in the electorate and prevent public and party worker gatherings to eliminate the possibility of unpleasant incidents.
Many purported technological issues were reported, causing authorities to postpone voting in two voting booths.
The AIADMK alleged to the returning officer that DMK members were involved in the distribution of cash at Asokapuram, but when authorities got to the scene, no one was found, according to officials.
Complaints were made in Veerapanchathiram that votes for the targeted candidate were not registered after pressing a particular button on the electronic voting equipment (EVM). At Brough Road, the EVM was malfunctioning. In both locations, officials paused voting for a period of time before restarting it after resolving the problems.
