Proving its invincibility in the State’s political arena, the ruling DMK swept the by-election to the Vikravandi Assembly constituency with its candidate Anniyur Siva polling 1,24,053 votes as against rival PMK’s C Anbumani getting 56,296 votes and Naam Tamilar Katchi candidate Abinaya registering 10.602 votes. Polling was held in the predominantly rural constituency in Villupuram district on July 10, along with 12 constituencies in six other States, to fill in the vacancy caused by the passing away of incumbent candidate N Puzhalenthi of the DMK in April and counting was held on Saturday at the Government Higher Secondary School in Panayapuram.
Though there were 29 candidates in the fray, the DMK took an early lead, prompting the party cadre to break into celebrations, all over the State, particularly at their headquarters, Anna Arivalayam, on Chennai’s Anna Salai. Chief Minister M K Stalin visited the headquarters, where the who’s who of the party landed to congratulate him. Describing the electoral triumph as a continuation of the INDIA coalition’s success story that began in 2019, Stalin, in his message, noted that the alliance has trumped their rivals in 11 of the 13 Assembly seats that went to polls on Wednesday.
The BJP was refusing to learn that respecting the sentiments of the States was important to run a government and a party despite the repeated drubbing that it has been getting in elections, he said, adding that the Vikravandi result exemplified the su.