Ruling parties rule the roost in by-polls in South

The ruling parties in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Telangana won the respective Assembly bypolls in the three southern states on Thursday, but most importantly the AIADMK and CPI (M) bounced back from the severe drubbing they received in the April 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The victory for Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami and his Kerala counterpart Pinarayi Vijayan, months after the rout comes as a morale-booster for the two leaders ahead of the next Assembly polls in both states in 2021.

Both CPI (M) and the AIADMK wrested opposition strongholds in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, respectively.

In Telangana too, TRS snatched opposition Congress-held Huzurnagar constituency, reaffirming chief minister K Chandrasekar Rao-led party's grip on the state politics.

While the AIADMK was handed down a severe drubbing by the DMK-led coalition in the Lok Sabha polls, Vijayan suffered a jolt when Congress-led UDF bucked the national trend of a saffron surge to net 18 of the 20 Lok Sabha seats in Kerala even as his party was reduced to a virtual non-entity.

AIADMK, which had faced the polls in alliance with BJP, DMDK, and PMK among others, could win only one seat.

Interestingly, Vikravandi and Nanguneri in Tamil Nadu, where the bypolls were held on October 21, were previously held by DMK and its ally Congress, respectively.

In the by-elections held in April and May for 22 Assembly seats, AIADMK could win only nine of them, with the M K Stalin-led DMK netting 13.

But the equations had little bearing on the stability of the AIADMK government as Palaniswami then had the required numbers to continue in office.

AIADMK failing to win the Vellore Lok Sabha election in August further put a question mark over people's preference for the party. The election to this seat originally scheduled in April was rescinded over complaints of money power.

In Kerala, though CPI(M) under the leadership of Vijayan lost its sitting seat Aroor this time, it, however, wrested two UDF strongholds--Vattiyoorkavu and Konni.

By-polls to these and two other seats were held on Monday.

The UDF failed to repeat its magical performance in the Lok Sabha polls though it retained two of its sitting segments and managed to wrest one seat from the ruling front.

In Telangana, the TRS helmed by Chief Minister K Chandrasekar Rao extended its winning run in the Assembly polls after emerging victorious in the hustings last year.

The Huzurnagar bypoll victory was crucial for Rao to reaffirm his party's dominance, especially in the light of TRS failing to meet expectations of a sweep in the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year.

Boasting a brutal majority of 100 legislators in the 120-member Telangana Assembly, TRS could not repeat the performance in the parliamentary polls, as it ended up winning only 12 of the 19 seats.

Similarly, the ruling Congress in Puducherry extended its winning run with party nominee A John Kumar, a confidante of chief minister V Narayansamy, emerging victorious at Kamaraj Nagar.

The seat fell vacant after incumbent legislator V Vaithilingam quit following his election to the Lok Sabha in April.