CHENNAI: The ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu is all set to retain Sankarankoil (SC) assembly seat with its candidate S Muthuselvi setting up an unassailable lead of 46,189 votes at the end of 18th round of counting. The byelection held on March 18 witnessed a high voter turnout of over 77%.
According to special chief electoral officer D Raajendiran, Muthuselvi has polled 64,619 votes, followed by J Jawahar Surya Kumar (DMK) 19,430 votes, Dr T Sadan Thirumalai Kumar (MDMK) 15,908 votes and K Muthukumar (DMDK) 8,400 votes.
Jubilant AIADMK cadres started celebrating their party’s huge lead by bursting crackers here. In a statement, chief minister and AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalithaa said the result is on expected lines. “We knew we would win, it was just a question about the victory margin,” she said.
Though the result of the by-poll, necessitated due to the death of AIADMK minister C Karuppasamy in October last, would not alter the political balance, it nevertheless is being watched keenly. During a verbal exchange with her former ally and Opposition Leader Vijayakanth in the state Assembly in February, chief minister Jayalalithaa had openly challenged him in the state assembly to show his strength in this by poll The two parties had contested on their own in the local bodies polls last year.
The Vaiko-led MDMK contested its first elections since boycotting the April 2011 polls following a breakdown in seat sharing arrangement with then ally AIADMK .
Counting commenced at 8 am at an engineering college in Sankarankoil under heavy 3-tier security.
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