The counting of votes for Dr. Radhakrishnan Nagar by-election had to be temporarily halted on Sunday as clashes erupted between supporters of AIADMK candidate E. Madhusoodhanan and sidelined AIADMK leader T.T.V. Dhinakaran who contested as an independent.
Mr. Dhinakaran was leading in the first round of counting for R.K. Nagar, where the election was necessitated by the death of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa. This led to impromptu celebrations by his supporters, who began distributing sweets to the passers-by.
An altercation broke out between the counting agents of Mr. Madhusoodhanan and Mr. Dhinakaran. In no time, it turned violent and AIADMK agents were seen damaging furniture in the counting centre. Polling officials intervened trying to restore peace between the agents but in vain. Police and paramilitary forces had to forcibly remove the violent supporters from the counting centre.
Television channels showed AIADMK agents, including a woman, being forcibly evicted from the scene. Following this, AIADMK supporters staged a road blockade outside Queen Mary's College where counting is under way.
Counting of votes was halted for about 45 minutes due to clashes. District Electoral Officer D. Karthikeyan said the compilation of second-round resumed after police restored normalcy in the centre.
(With inputs from Aloysius Xavier Lopez)
