AIADMK meet on Jan 11 to decide on fielding candidate for Erode East bypoll

Chennai, Jan 8 The principal opposition party in Tamil Nadu, AIADMK, will decide on contesting the Erode East by-election, scheduled for February 5, after a meeting of district secretaries on January 11 at the party headquarters here.

The by-election was necessitated by the passing away of sitting MLA and senior Congress leader E.V.K.S. Elangovan.

Notably, this is the second by-election for the Erode East constituency in a short span. The first occurred following the death of MLA Thirumagan Everaa, who passed away at the age of 46 due to a massive heart attack in January 2023. Subsequently, his father, E.V.K.S. Elangovan, contested the by-election and won by a significant margin of 66,233 votes.

The DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) is eager to maintain its winning streak in the upcoming by-election and assert its dominance ahead of the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly polls. The alliance aims to consolidate its electoral hold while dealing a blow to the AIADMK.

Sources within the AIADMK indicate that party general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) will make a formal announcement regarding the by-election after the January 11 meeting.

Nominations for the by-election will open the same day and remain so until January 17.

A senior AIADMK leader emphasised the importance of fielding a strong candidate to demonstrate the party’s political strength. He remarked, “Even if Congress fields a candidate, the real contest will be with our arch-rival DMK, which will dominate the constituency.”

The leader acknowledged that ruling parties often have an upper hand in by-elections but stressed that the AIADMK must not focus solely on the outcome. Instead, he urged the party to campaign vigorously, putting up a tough fight against the DMK. He also alleged that the ruling party may misuse government machinery to secure what he called a “dubious victory”.

During a recent visit to Erode, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin was reportedly informed by local DMK leaders that the Congress lacks a leader of sufficient stature to contest the by-election. These leaders suggested that the DMK should take over the seat, given the circumstances. However, Tamil Nadu Congress president K. Selvaperunthugai publicly announced on January 3 that the Congress would field a candidate. This statement was not well received by DMK cadres and local leaders, who believe the Congress lacks grassroots support in the region.

P.M. Gnapathy Sundaran, Director of the Erode-based think tank Centre for Development and Electoral Studies, said, “The Congress does not have grassroots strength in Erode East and has always relied on the DMK. While EVKS Elangovan brought credibility to the Congress, without a member of his family contesting, the DMK would be better suited to take over the seat"

Source: IANS