CHENNAI: By-elections to the remaining four Assembly constituencies in the State will take place on Sunday. While the bypolls to 18 seats were held along with Lok Sabha polls on April 18 in the State, the bypolls to Sulur, Aravakurichi, Ottapidaram (SC) and Thiruparankundram were scheduled for May 19. The Sulur seat fell vacant in March following the death of AIADMK MLA R Kanakaraj who died following a cardiac arrest.
Ottapidaram(SC) constituency is represented by disqualified AIADMK MLA Sundararaj while Thirupparankundram legislator A K Bose also belonging to AIADMK died last year. Aravakurichi is represented by Senthil Balaji, a disqualified AIADMK legislator who has joined DMK.
According to Chief Electoral Officer Satyabrata Sahoo, a total of 137 candidates are in the fray in the assembly constituencies with Aravakurichi leading with 63 MLA aspirants. A total of 15,939 police personnel have been deployed to maintain law and order.
The outcome of the by-polls to a total of 22 seats will decide the future political course in the State as the results would determine the continuance of the two-year-old Palaniswami government. Arch rivals AIADMK and DMK have left no stone unturned to ensure victory.AIADMK rebel and Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam leader T T V Dhinakaran, Kamal Haasan’s Makkal Needhi Mariam, actor-director Seeman’s Naam Tamizhar Katchi have fielded candidates in the four constituencies, making it a multi-cornered contest.
In the 234-member Tamil Nadu assembly with 22 vacancies, the AIADMK has a strength of 113, excluding the Speaker. The simple majority mark in the full House is 117