Rebel MLAs lose deposit, but Senthil Balaji rides DMK wave

It may be recalled that Speaker P Dhanapal disqualified as many as 18 MLAs for changing the camp from AIADMK to AMMK as soon as the party was launched by TTV Dhinakaran and they sought the help of the court challenging their disqualification, but it was quashed.

In this backdrop, Senthil Balaji preferred to quit AMMK and joined the DMK in the presence of party president MK Stalin.

Subsequently, the DMK, which has a thin support in the Kongu region, fielded Senthil Balaji in Aravakurichi from where he was elected earlier on the AIADMK ticket.

Meanwhile, the DMK president also appointed Senthil Balaji as the DMK in-charge for Karur. Soon after Senthil Balaji was announced as the DMK candidate for Aravakurichi, he carefully drafted his plans in campaign strategy. Similarly, his previous colleagues from AMMK had also opted to contest in the elections, while three persons-Thangatamilselvan, Palaniappan and Parthiben contested in the Lok Sabha polls on AMMK ticket.

In the meantime, all the AMMK candidates lost their deposit expect Senthil Balaji, who had previously predicted that the change in the camp is a must for his political career.

On Thursday, after the counting process, Senthil Balaji has been declared winner with a margin of around 37,000 votes against the AIADMK candidate VV Senthilnathan.