In a stunning victory that could put the K Palaniswami government on the backfoot, sidelined AIADMK leader TTV Dhinakaran won the crucial RK Nagar by-poll on Saturday by a thumping margin of over 40,000 votes.
TTV Dinakaran has declared himself as the “true political heir” of the late J Jayalalithaa after winning the by-election to RK Nagar assembly seat in Tamil Nadu. Thanking voters, the sidelined AIADMK leader has vowed to bring down the EPS-OPS government in the state “within three months”. The bypoll was primarily a contest between Dinakaran and the merged faction of chief minister E Palaniswami and deputy CM O Panneerselvam, with the result deciding the battle for Jayalalithaa’s legacy. While Dinakaran contested as an Independent candidate, the EPS-OPS faction had fielded Madhusudhanan. The DMK, too, tried to make it a triangular contest, fielding N Maruthu Ganesh. The bypoll was first scheduled to be held in April this year, but was cancelled due to complaints of large-scale voter bribery. This round of voting was also not devoid of controversy. A Dinakaran loyalist released a video on the eve of the by-election purportedly showing Jayalalithaa in a hospital few days before her death.
Final Tally
TTV Dinakaran (Independent): 89,013
E Madhusudhanan (AIADMK): 48,306
N Maruthu Ganesh (DMK): 24,651
Final Tally
TTV Dinakaran (Independent): 89,013
E Madhusudhanan (AIADMK): 48,306
N Maruthu Ganesh (DMK): 24,651
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