CHENNAI: The October 6 Assembly bypolls in Madurantakam (SC) and Dharapuram (SC) are set to be a test for the four-month-old TVK government led by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, with the Opposition planning to make the defection of two MLAs and the resulting vacancies a major poll plank.
The bypolls were necessitated after AIADMK MLAs Maragatham Kumaravel and P Sathyabama, who won the Madurantakam and Dharapuram constituencies, respectively, in the Assembly election, resigned and joined the TVK within weeks of the election results.
The issue has already emerged as a key campaign theme for the Left parties. CPM state secretary P Shanmugam said on Tuesday that the “betrayal” of voters by the two former AIADMK MLAs would be the Left’s primary campaign plank.
“This is going to be our primary election campaign tool. They betrayed the people by resigning their MLA posts before the ink dried on the finger. Within 20 days of the election results, they resigned. What is the guarantee that they will not repeat this and join some other party,” Shanmugam asked a joint press conference where CPI state secretary M Veerapandian announced P Laxmanan as the Left candidate for Dharapuram. Shanmugam announced CPM candidate P Suganthi for Madurantakam.
DMK youth wing secretary and Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin, addressing a marriage function at Velachery on Sunday, alleged that the government had come to power by “buying” MLAs from another party, necessitating the bypolls.
Udhayanidhi said the bypoll victories should mark the beginning of the TVK government’s downfall and urged voters to defeat the ruling party.
While the DMK has suffered defection of its major allies, including Congress, CPM, CPI, VCK and IUML, to the TVK after the polls, the AIADMK alliance seems to be remaining intact except for the PMK, which has remained silent on extending support.
Amid the bypolls, arch-rivals DMK and AIADMK cadres shared sweets and greetings at Anna's birth anniversary celebration in Tirupur; something unheard of in the past.
Meanwhile, the electoral contest is taking shape in both constituencies. In Madurantakam, DMK’s I Paranthaman, TVK’s Maragatham Kumaravel and NTK’s Janakiraman filed their nominations on Tuesday. AIADMK and CPM candidates are expected to file their papers on Wednesday, the last day for nominations, making it a five-cornered contest.
In Dharapuram, 13 candidates including six females had filed nominations till Tuesday. TVK’s Sathyabama, AIADMK’s Bhanumathi and candidates of the CPM and NTK are among those expected to file nominations on Wednesday.