CHENNAI: Hoping to build an independent support base, the Left parties contested the Madurantakam and Dharapuram bypolls but ended up polling fewer votes than they had expected. CPM candidate P Suganthi secured 1,986 votes in Madurantakam, while CPI candidate P Lakshmanan polled 1,157 votes in Dharapuram. Sources in the Left parties said they had expected at least 3,000 votes in each constituency.
CPI state secretary M Veerapandian told TNIE that the Left parties needed to contest elections independently to build public support. “We are not worried about defeats. We have faced them before and will continue to fight for people’s demands,” he said. He said the Left parties had sought to hold detailed discussions with people on the prevailing political situation. “We have achieved our goal. That is more than enough,” he added.
CPM state secretary P Shanmugam said the party viewed elections as part of its larger struggle for social change. He said the party had campaigned without money or the backing of power and had taken its views on neo-liberal policies, hate politics and threats to democracy to the people. Political observer and veteran journalist Tharasu Shyam said the Left might reconsider their support for the TVK government.
Meanwhile, Seeman-led NTK finished fourth in both seats. In Dharapuram, it secured 5,268 votes, down from 6,026 in the April election. In Madurantakam, its tally fell to 2,247 from 9,293 votes.