Tamil Nadu gears up for six-seat bypolls; TVK alliance chemistry, friendless DMK, struggling AIADMK on test

CHENNAI: Not even two months have gone by since the results of the State Assembly election was declared on May 4, but the people in six constituencies in Tamil Nadu will soon return to the polling booth to elect their representatives for yet another time, with the election officials in Tamil Nadu beginning preparations for the bypolls to the seats that fell vacant following the resignations of the winning candidates.

For the election department, this is a matter of logistics, one that the officials are quite familiar with. But for the political parties here, including the ruling TVK, principal opposition DMK, the AIADMK, and the smaller parties that are in alliance with the major outfits, the bypolls are a retest of politics and, more importantly, a chance to examine the coalition chemistry and arithmetic.

TVK allies need to show strength

First off, the TVK: Going by Tamil Nadu’s bypoll history, the ruling party is always the frontrunner. It also helps that the Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay-led government’s honeymoon period is yet to get over. The real test, hence, will be for the alliance partners – the Congress, VCK, and IUML. While their political and ideological heft is widely acknowledged, this will be a chance to test their electoral value within the new alliance. For this, they have to show that the candidates fielded by the ruling front garner more votes than what the TVK got while contesting on its own in the general election.

Dravidian majors to battle it out

For the DMK, this is the first election in several years where they are contesting without the important allies. While winning the seats will be its declared aim, the real battle will be to ensure that its candidates get more votes than the AIADMK. And for the latter – which has lost five of the six seats that are going for bypoll – and its leader Edappadi K Palaniswami, this is an opportunity to show that their influence has not waned.

Is the state poll-ready?

Speaking to DT Next, election officials said the preliminary arrangements for the bypolls are under way, with the first-level checking and verification of EVMs for Tiruchy (East), Madurantakam, Dharapuram, Ambasamudram, and Perundurai have reached the final stage. In Viralimalai, the testing process is expected to commence shortly.

The State Chief Electoral Officer had earlier directed the district Collectors to submit detailed preparedness reports by June 22, including constituency-wise details such as the number of electors, polling stations, availability of election personnel, assistant returning officers, security arrangements, and police deployment requirements.

The CEO will send a comprehensive report to the Election Commission, which will then take a final call on the election schedule. The commission would review the preparedness of all six constituencies before announcing the bypoll dates.