CHENNAI: Sidelined AIADMK leader TTV Dhinakaran on Sunday created history by winning a byelection as an independent candidate in Tamil Nadu.
Dhinakaran won the
RK Nagar byelection by a margin of 40,707 votes, defeating his nearest rival E Madhusudhanan of the AIADMK. Dhinakaran got 89,013 votes while Madhusudhanan polled 48,306 votes. DMK candidate N Maruthu Ganesh got only 24,651 votes and lost his deposit.
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Dhinakaran secured 50.32% of the 1,76,890 votes polled.
The outcome of the byelection has been touted as one that could establish several political indicators, coming as it did in the wake of a leadership turmoil in the AIADMK. It could shake the base of the EPS-OPS-led AIADMK.
Now, after the victory, Dhinakaran is likely to be more determined to attempt to destabilise the government with his new-found confidence. The AIADMK can seek solace in the fact that a majority of the MLAs may prefer to see the government complete its remaining three-and-a-half-term rather than go to polls now.
"Tamil Nadu people have spoken through RK Nagar voters. They have taught this traitor-AIADMK government a fitting lesson," Dhinakaran told reporters in Madurai earlier in the day as counting of votes progressed at Queen Mary's College in Chennai.
Referring to the two-leaves symbol that the Edappadi K Palaniswami-O Panneerselvam group won recently, Dhinakaran said, "The party and symbol are not important in an election. It is whom the cadre backs that is important. People voted for MGR (AIADMK founder M G Ramachandran) and J Jayalalithaa, but they won't vote for an M N Nambiar or a Veerappa (both former celluloid villains)."
"We are the true AIADMK. People of RK Nagar have elected Amma's Jayalalithaa's) successor," said Dhinakaran.
He said the Edappadi K Palaniswami government would fall in three months.
Jailed party leader VK Sasikala's brother V Divakaran said that "the win is very big."
"We did not have any party with us. The AIADMK had police, symbol, cadres, government and even the Election Commission. The DMK had several alliance parties. But we were alone," said Divakaran.
"The result has shown that party cadres are with us. We expect all other leaders and cadres will come back to us," said Divakaran.
However, AIADMK minister Sellur K Raju said the byelection result would not affect the party. "The AIADMK is a big tree and nobody has born to kill the tree. Some branches might fall but not the entire tree," said Raju.
The DMK said democracy has lost in the assembly constituency and money power has won. "Money has eaten all DMK votes. In RK Nagar constituency, money power has won and democracy has lost," said DMK leader Durai Murugan.
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