Erode East bypolls: Seeman’s NTK to take on DMK after AIADMK, BJP withdraw

Chennai:  The principal opposition party in Tamil Nadu, AIADMK, has announced that it will not contest the Erode East by-election. The BJP has also decided to withdraw from the race, leaving the Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) as the primary challenger to the DMK in the February 5 polls.

NTK Chief Coordinator and founder, Seeman, confirmed on Sunday that his party would contest the Erode East by-election and announce its candidate on January 14.

The Erode East by-election was necessitated by the passing of senior Congress leader and sitting MLA, E.V.K.S. Elangovan. The seat, previously held by Congress in 2021, has now been taken over by the DMK, leading to protests from Congress functionaries and cadres in the region.

The late EVKS Elangovan became the MLA of Erode East following the demise of his son and former MLA, Thirumagan Everaa, who passed away at the age of 46 due to a massive heart attack.

Thirumagan Everaa won the seat in 2021 with a margin of 8,904 votes, while Elangovan secured a significant victory with a margin of 66,233 votes.

DMK Erode District Secretary and Minister in the Stalin cabinet, Muthusamy, who played a key role in securing the seat from Congress, expressed confidence that the DMK candidate would win with a margin of 1.20 lakh votes.

Meanwhile, NTK chief Seeman criticized the ruling DMK in his statement, saying, “As a movement, we need to stand on the field and fight. We cannot afford to be absentee players in the democratic process. We will announce our candidate for the Erode East by-election on Pongal day (January 14).”

Seeman further accused the DMK of becoming “Karunanidhi’s property” and alleged that the party hides behind Periyar’s legacy while ignoring other Tamil leaders’ contributions.

“The DMK is trying to conceal the sacrifices and struggles of thousands of Tamils who fought for the state’s rights, language, and social justice. They are attempting to reduce the entire Tamil movement to a single figure, Periyar,” he alleged.

AIADMK general secretary and Leader of Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) also criticised the ruling DMK. In a statement, he claimed the DMK had used money and muscle power to win the previous bypoll in Erode East in 2023, where the AIADMK had fielded a candidate.

EPS accused the DMK of planning to deploy the same tactics and misuse official machinery to prevent peaceful voting in the upcoming election. Citing this, the AIADMK has decided to boycott the by-election. This is the second time in six months that the AIADMK has abstained from a by-election, following their withdrawal from the Vikravandi bypoll in July 2024.

NTK chief Seeman endorsed EPS’s decision to boycott the bypoll, stating that the electoral process in Tamil Nadu has long been compromised. “By-elections are not being held democratically, and this is not a recent phenomenon. It has been the case for a while now,” he said.

–IANS