Curtains down on Erode East bypoll campaign, DMK confident of huge win

CHENNAI: With the campaign for the Erode East bypoll ending on Monday, the ruling DMK, which has taken over the seat from its coalition partner Congress, is confident of a massive victory. The bypoll will be held on February 5, and counting of votes will be held on February 8.

DMK Erode district secretary and Urban Development and Housing Minister S Muthusamy led the party’s campaign alongside local MP Prakash, conducting door-to-door outreach to voters.

Speaking to reporters, Muthusamy expressed confidence that the DMK candidate for the Erode East bypoll would win by a margin of 1.2 lakh votes. The ruling party’s candidate, ex-MLA VC Chandhirakumar, is contesting against MK Seethalakshmi, the women’s wing leader of Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK), after the principal Opposition parties, AIADMK and BJP, boycotted the polls.

Senior DMK leader and party organising secretary R.S. Bharathi dismissed speculation that the party was taking the election lightly due to the perceived weakness of its opponent. Instead, he emphasised that the DMK had campaigned aggressively to secure a landslide victory. Senior leaders, including State PWD Minister EV Velu, were also actively involved in the campaign.

After recent controversies, including the Anna University sexual assault case, the DMK is keen to reinforce the narrative that public support remains firmly behind the party.

An opinion poll conducted by ‘People Studies’ has projected a clear victory for the DMK in the bypoll, scheduled for February 5.

The survey, conducted among 1,470 respondents, revealed the following voter preferences, with 59.5 per cent of respondents indicating they would vote for the DMK. 17.6 per cent stated they did not wish to vote, while 16.7 per cent said they would support the NTK.