CHENNAI: Byelections to 18 of the 21 vacant State Assembly seats would be held on April 18, along with the Lok Sabha polls. Addressing the media on Sunday, Chief Electoral Officer Satyabrata Sahoo said that elections to the balance 3 Assembly seats — Ottapidaram, Aravankuruchi and Thiruparankundram — would not be conducted now due to pending legal disputes.
Hours before the poll schedule was announced, AIADMK and DMDK sealed their long-pending alliance deal. DMDK climbed down from their earlier demand for seven Lok Sabha seats and settled for four. They have not been given any of the 18 Assembly seats. One of the fallouts of not conducting elections in all of the 21 vacant seats is that the DMK-led alliance has lost its chance, however slim, of securing a majority in the Assembly.
Currently, the DMK-led front has 97 MLAs in the 213-strong Assembly. If the polls were conducted for all 21 seats, and if DMK magically manages to win all 21 of them, its tally will go up to 118 — just over the halfway mark of 117.But now, since elections are being conducted only to 18 seats, even if the opposition party wins all the seats, its tally will go only up to 115. Regardless, the bypolls will test the leadership capabilities of MK Stalin, and if he can inspire the electorate.
The game is entirely different for AIADMK. It needs just a couple of the 18 seats to maintain simple majority in the House. Given that a few of the ruling party MLAs had been supporting the rebel leader TTV Dhinakaran, a few extra seats would ensure the stability of government.The CEO stressed on Sunday that efforts would be made by his office to ensure there is no bribing of voters ahead of the elections. There are also plans to increase the number of ‘expenditure observers’ in certain constituencies to prevent the distribution of cash.
“During 2014 elections, two expenditure observers has been deployed for each constituency. We will write to Election Commission to increase that number,” he said.At least twice in recent past the elections were rescinded in Tamil Nadu over allegations of massive cash distribution to voters. Besides the 18 MLA seats, the bypoll for the lone vacant MLA seat in the Puducherry Union Territory (Thattanchavady) too would be conducted on April 18, said Sahoo. Nominations will be accepted from March 19 to 26.
Bypolls in...
Poonamallee (SC), Perambur, Sholingur, Gudiyatham (SC), Ambur, Hosur, Pappireddipatti, Harur (SC), Nilakottai (SC), Thiruvarur, Thanjavur, Manamadurai (SC), Andipatti, Periyakulam (SC), Sattur, Paramakudi (SC), Thiruporur and Vilathikulam.