CHENNAI: The by-election in Erode (East) has posed a challenge to the common belief that anti-Dravidian parties are gaining momentum in the state. Despite claims from parties such as NTK led by Seeman, and DMDK led by actor Vijayakanth that they are a viable alternative to the Dravidian majors, the election results suggest otherwise.
The votes secured by non-DMK and non-AIADMK candidates have dipped in the bypoll. In the 2021 assembly elections, the DMK and AIADMK along with their allies secured 1,25,696 votes out of 152,631 votes polled, which accounts for 82.35%. In the 2023 bypoll, the DMK and AIADMK alliance candidates bagged 1,54,537 votes out of 1,70,192 votes, which accounts for 90.80%
However, despite the decline in anti-Dravidian major votes, the NTK and DMDK were able to maintain their support in the bypoll. NTK received 10,804 votes, which is only slightly lower than the 11,629 votes they received in the 2021 general elections.
Similarly, DMDK received 1,114 votes in the by-poll compared to the 1,204 secured by the AMMK+DMDK alliance in the previous assembly elections. Overall, the outcome of the by-poll suggests that the DMK and AIADMK still hold significant power in the state, and there is no clear alternative to them.
77 in the fray
Of the total electorate of 2.27 lakh, the Erode bypolls recorded a polling of 74.79% on February 27. A total of 77 candidates contested the bypolls