MADURAI: There will be ups and downs in a political journey, and the people of Tamil Nadu know how to differentiate between the Lok Sabha election and the state assembly election, said AIADMK leader and former chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami.
Addressing media persons at a private marriage hall in Madurai, he said, “Former union minister and Congress leader P Chidambaram has got nothing to do with this issue. It is our decision to boycott the Vikravandi bypoll and Chidambaram does not know about it. Nobody talks about the byelection in Erode (East) last year where the democratic process was destroyed, and no freedom of choice was offered to voters who were treated like goats and transported to the polling booths. The ECI remained silent, while government agencies supported the ruling party. In such an undemocratic atmosphere, we have decided to boycott the byelection.”
In the Vikravandi byelection, the DMK will show its full strength. There will be huge cash flow and democratic processes will be slaughtered, due to which we are boycotting the byelection. Chief Minister MK Stalin’s dream of winning over 200 seats in assembly elections will not come true. In the previous Thoothukudi Lok Sabha election, DMK’s Kanimozhi won while the AIADMK candidate won the Vilathikulam assembly election. In the 2026 assembly elections, we will secure a huge victory, he added.