RK Nagar By-Election Result 2017: Counting Begins; Can Dinakaran Upstage EPS-OPS in Jayalalithaa’s Bastion?

Counting for the RK Nagar Assembly seat in Tamil Nadu began at 8 am to settle the question that has divided the ruling AIADMK since Jayalalithaa’s death last year — who is Amma’s political heir? Of the 59 candidates in the fray, the fight is essentially triangular with the key contenders being sidelined AIADMK leader TTV Dinakaran who contested as an Independent, the ruling party’s official candidate E Madhusudhanan and opposition DMK candidate N Maruthu Ganesh.

While Dinakaran is vying for a win to regain control of the party, his rival faction led by Chief Minister E Palaniswami and deputy CM O Panneerselvam is hoping to decimate him for good. The DMK, on the other hand, is hoping to benefit by the bickering and win the prestigious seat after over two decades.

The bypoll was first scheduled to be held in April this year, but was cancelled due to complaints of large-scale voter bribery. This round of voting was also not devoid of controversy. A Dinakaran loyalist released a video on the eve of the by-election purportedly showing Jayalalithaa in a hospital few days before her death. Anticipating trouble, 2,000 police personnel and 15 companies of the CRPF had been deployed for the by-election, which saw a record turnout of 77.68%.

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