CHENNAI: The AIADMK has decided to boycott the by-election to the Erode (East) Assembly seat scheduled for February 5, alleging that the bypoll will not be conducted in a “free and fair” manner. AIADMK’s ally DMDK soon followed suit, saying that it too would skip the bypoll.
This is the second time in the last six months that the AIADMK has decided to boycott a by-election citing the same reason. The party had stayed away from the Vikravandi bypoll in July 2024.
In a statement issued after chairing a meeting of the party’s district secretaries at the AIADMK headquarters, party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami alleged that the ruling DMK had used money and muscle power to win the previous bypoll held in Erode (East) in 2023 in which the AIADMK had also fielded a candidate. Contending that the DMK would deploy the same tactics, apart from misusing official machinery to prevent peaceful voting, the party had decided to boycott the election.
Responding to the decision, DMK organising secretary RS Bharathi mocked the AIADMK for opting out of the race due to fear of failure. The opposition is afraid that it may not even retain its deposit if it contested in the bypoll, Bharathi said.
The BJP-led NDA coalition, however, is yet to announce its position on the by-election. In the previous Vikravandi bypoll, PMK candidate, which holds substantial influence in the region, was fielded on behalf of the NDA alliance.