Bypolls under way at Madurantakam constituency in Chengalpattu District on Tuesday., (Photo TOI)
At the end of the day, Madurantakam registered 86.26% and Dharapuram 80.3% voting. The constituencies had registered 93.22% and 89.89% voting in the assembly election in April this year. Of the 18 bypolls held in 2019 after AIADMK MLAs were disqualified for switching sides and aligning with expelled party leader T T V Dhinakaran, at least 12 recorded a decline in turnout compared with the previous assembly election or its equivalent. The Vilavankode bypoll held after the resignation of Congress MLA S Vijayadharani in 2024 recorded a turnout of 65.39%, compared with 67.12% in the 2021 assembly election. In the 2023 Erode East bypoll following the death of Congress MLA E V K S Elangovan, polling rose to 74.5%, from 66.56% in 2021. Similarly, the turnout in the 2017 Dr Radhakrishnan Nagar bypoll held after the death of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa was 77.5%, up from 68.36% in the previous election. Oct 9 will be a day of celebration for us. ”
“When EPS tried to form a govt with the support of DMK, we had to leave,” said the two-time MLA. The decline is significant as the bypolls followed the defection of sitting AIADMK MLAs Maragatham Kumaravel and P Sathyabama to TVK. Vijay had organised roadshows in both the constituencies, in contrast to his relatively limited campaigning during the April polls. The low turnout is consistent with the pattern observed in several by-elections triggered by disqualification or resignation of MLAs over the past decade. In contrast, the turnout rose when the election was necessitated by the death of an MLA. However, TVK candidate Maragatham Kumaravel cited a local public holiday unlike the general holiday during the assembly elections as one of the reasons for the lower turnout. She dismissed allegations of betrayal. “My voters are convinced about my decision and will stand by Annan Vijay.