Erode East bypoll: TNCC prez exudes confidence in party's victory

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Congress president KS Alagiri on Monday exuded confidence that the party candidate will win in the upcoming bypoll of Erode East constituency by a huge margin.

"Our party candidate EVKS Elangovan is going to win by a great margin," the Congress State unit chief said, adding that on February 15 party state in-charge Dinesh Gundurao is going to campaign in Erode East constituency.

Earlier in January, Election Commission announced a byelection to the Erode East constituency in Tamil Nadu on February 27. The counting of votes will be done on March 2.

The bypoll was necessitated due to the death of the Congress MLA Thirumagan, the great-grandson of social reformer 'Periyar' E V Ramasamy and son of former Union minister EVKS Elangovan.

Last month, while addressing the party cadres in a protest against TN Governor RN Ravi in Chennai, Alagiri also said that even lord Rama would cast his vote for the Congress party in the bypolls. "If Lord Ram is asked whom will you vote for? Lord Ram will cast his vote for Congress and not BJP," Tamil Nadu Congress President claimed.

Congress is looking to retain the constituency, which is one of the 25 seats allotted to it in the DMK's Secular Progressive Alliance.

In the last elections, Yuvaraja M of the Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) had come second by contesting on the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's (AIADMK) two-leaves symbol.

The bypoll is being keenly watched as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) might decide to go for it alone.