DMK Candidate Anniyur Siva Leads in Vikravandi Assembly Bypoll
The ruling DMK party in Tamil Nadu appears to have successfully passed a crucial test in the Vikravandi assembly by-election. Their candidate, Anniyur Siva, is currently leading with a significant margin over his rival, PMK's C Anbumani. As of 1:00 pm, Siva held a lead of 39,435 votes.
This by-election was held due to the unfortunate death of the previous MLA, N Pugazhenthi. A total of 29 candidates contested the election, but the main battle was between DMK's Siva and PMK's Anbumani. Notably, the AIADMK boycotted the election, citing concerns about fairness under the DMK government.
The by-election served as a litmus test for the DMK, which has faced criticism over recent events like the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy and the murder of BSP state chief Armstrong. However, the party's current lead suggests that they have retained the trust of the Vikravandi electorate.
Vikravandi is a general category assembly constituency located in the Viluppuram district. According to the 2011 Census, the constituency has a significant population of rural voters (95.76%) and a smaller urban population (4.24%). The electorate also includes a substantial number of SC voters (63,829) and ST voters (2,946).
In the 2021 assembly elections, the Vikravandi constituency had a total electorate of 234,841 voters. The voter turnout for the current by-election was 82.48%, slightly lower than the 82.53% recorded in the 2021 elections.
In the 2021 election, Pugazhenthi N of DMK won the seat by defeating ADMK's Muthamilselvan R with a margin of 9,573 votes. The current results suggest that the DMK is likely to retain the Vikravandi seat, further solidifying their position in the state.