Published 17:52 IST, October 24th 2019
Boost for Edappadi Palaniswami as AIADMK wins both by-poll seats
The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) has won 2 by-poll seats in constituencies of Vikravandi & Nanguneri defeating main opposition DMK & ally
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The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) won the two by-poll Assembly elections from the constituencies of Vikravandi and Nanguneri. The two seats were held by traditional rivals Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) candidate and its alliance Indian National Congress (INC).
Clear victory over DMK
Muthamilselvan R won the seat from Vikravandi, defeating nearest rival Pugazhenthi N of the DMK by a margin of 44,924 votes whereas in Nanguneri, V Narayanan defeated R Manoharan of the INC by a margin of 33,447 votes. The win restores confidence for Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami after the recent Lok Sabha polls saw the party win much lesser seats in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, when the DMK had won 23 of the 39 Lok Sabha seats for Tamil Nadu.
After the by-poll elections, Palaniswami said, "As claimed by the opposition parties that the bypolls to Nanguneri and Vikravandi are forerunner for 2021 Assembly elections, AIADMK has won in these by-elections; this winning streak will continue in the ensuing local body elections. We have promised only whatever we can do and we have now won the bypolls; the DMK, which gave false promises, has been defeated".
Mininster D Jayakumar said, "This gives great happiness for the AIADMK cadre and the people of Tamil Nadu. The DMK leader had stated that the AIADMK was a communal party. The people of the State in the north and the south, in Vikravandi in the north and Nanguneri in the south, have given a resounding reply to him".
Stalin accepts people's verdict
DMK Chief MK Stalin, in a tweet, accepted the defeat and said that his party will continue to work hard to gain the confidence of the people who did not vote. He also promised his party and the public that they will surely win in the future. In April, elections for 22 Assembly seats were conducted along with the Lok Sabha polls and in the results, the DMK had won 13 seats, while the AIADMK had won nine seats.
16:17 IST, October 24th 2019