Coimbatore, Dec. 24
TTV. Dinakaran, an independent candidate, in the RK Nagar by-poll has been maintaining a healthy lead from the first round of counting, since counting started this morning.
In a very significant development, Dinakaran started leading with 5339 votes in the first round over his major rivgals Madhusudhanan (AIADMK) and Marudu Ganesh of DMK who polled 2733 and 1182 votes respectively.
Dinakaran went on to maintain his impressive margin in the second round with 10,421 votes, 15868 votes in third round and 20298 votes polled in his favor at the end of the fourth round. Dinakaran keeps on increasing his lead round after round.
Madusudhanan, AIADMK candidate has secured 9672 votes and DMK's candidate Marudhuganesh 5091 votes at the end of round four.
A total of 1,76,885 votes were polled in the by-poll which was conducted on December 21.
In the meanwhile, counting was stalled briefly before the second round of counting due to a tussle between Dinakaran and Madhusudanan supporters. Additional paramilitary forces were brought in to ensure order.
The sudden emergence and the healthy lead secured by Dinarkaran, the nephew of jailed V.K. Sasikala, former live-in-aide of Jayalaithaa who has been ousted from the post of general secretary of the AIADMK, is a very significant development that might have enormous impact on the political scenario of Tamil Nadu. This has proved his popularity among the poor sections of voters in the constituency.
"Dinakaran moved closely with the electorate in the constituency and maintained his rapport with the grassroots level, which fetched him the electoral dividends” say the voters in the constituency, mostly consisting of poorer sections of the voters.
“This would be a milestone in his political journey and will help him gain a foothold in the state politics and might go to strengthen the hands of Sasikala and her supporters as the real inheritors of Jayalalithaa’s legacy,” say political pundits.
Candidates of both the Naam Tamilar Katchi and that of the BJP are trailing far behind.
According to political watchers, the phenomenon cash-for-votes has touched a new high in R.K. Nagar by-poll, where candidates vied with each other to bribe the voters . It was a multi-crore campaign in which the voters were offered up to Rs.10,000 per vote, according to sources. And the Election Commission of India was clueless and it was struggling to contain the electoral malpractice.
“R.K.Nagar voters have been bought over by money power and it is a bad thing for democracy,” lamented Tamilisai Soundararajan, State BJP President after sensing the imminent victory of TTV Dinakaran.
Dinakaran, who has been waging a battle royale with the AIADMK (EPS) since his ouster from the party along with Sasikala has electorally taken on the might of both the ruling AIADMK and the main opposition party DMK.