CHENNAI: DMK's Anniyur Siva formally took charge as Vikravandi MLA on Tuesday with Speaker M Appavu administering the oath of office at his chambers in the Tamil Nadu Secretariat.
Chief Minister MK Stalin, Ministers Duraimurugan, K Ponmudi, Tamil Nadu Congress chief K Selvaperunthagai, VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan, among others, were present at the swearing-in ceremony.
Anniyur Siva beat runner-up NDA candidate and PMK member C Anbumani by a whopping 67,757 vote margin in the Vikravandi assembly bypoll which was necessitated by the demise of DMK district secretary and legislator N Pugazhenthi in April this year after a prolonged illness.
The Vikravandi bypoll was held on July 10 and recorded a turnout of 82.47 percent. Out of a total of 2,37,031 eligible voters, 1,95,495 had voted. The votes cast were counted on July 13.
When the counting exercise was completed, the Election Commission declared that DMK-led INDIA bloc candidate Anniyur Siva secured 1,24,053 votes and Nam Tamilar Katchi nominee K Abinaya secured 10,602 votes and became the distant third. BJP-led NDA candidate C. Anbumani, a PMK nominee, got 56,296 votes.
The main opposition AIADMK and its ally in the recent Lok Sabha polls DMDK had boycotted the bypoll.
The DMK-led alliance had won all 39 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu and the lone Puducherry segment in the 2024 Parliamentary elections.
(With additional inputs from Online Desk)