BJP announces NDA boycott of Erode East Assembly bypoll: ‘Target is to remove DMK in 2026’

“The coming 2026 Assembly polls are meant to remove the DMK from power. The NDA is moving towards that target and does not want to allow the DMK to confine people like cattle once again,” Annamalai said, recalling that there were accusations at the time about the M K Stalin-led party “confining” people at designated places.

“All the leaders of NDA who desire people’s welfare, after detailed consultation, have decided to boycott the Erode East bypoll. Our target is to remove the DMK in the 2026 elections and give the NDA’s good governance to people,” Annamalai said, adding that the state had been pushed to a “dark period” with no safety for various sections of society. The Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), which is led by former Union Minister Anbumani Ramadoss, is among the NDA constituents in Tamil Nadu.

On Saturday, the AIADMK also announced it was skipping the bypoll, citing the ruling party’s alleged misuse of official machinery and money power in previous polls. “The DMK used muscle power to win the Erode bypoll in 2023. They will deploy the same tactics again, preventing peaceful voting,” said AIADMK chief and former CM Edappadi K Palaniswami. The AIADMK’s ally DMDK followed suit on Sunday morning.

The DMK, which has fielded V C Chandrakumar in the bypoll, has dismissed the boycott as its rivals’ admission of electoral defeat.

In early 2023, a bypoll was necessitated in Erode East following the sudden death of veteran Congress leader EVKS Elangovan’s son Thirumagan Everaa. Thirumagan, a rising star in Tamil Nadu Congress and a direct descendant of social reformer Periyar E V Ramasamy, briefly served as MLA before he died of cardiac arrest. Elangovan, a former Tamil Nadu Congress president, won the bypoll only to succumb to illness on December 14.

Erode East, carved out as an independent constituency in 2008, has about 2.26 lakh registered voters, including 1.16 lakh women, 1.1 lakh men, and 23 transgender individuals. With a blend of urban and semi-urban populations, people there heavily depend on agriculture and textile industries. The seat has been historically favoured the two Dravidian majors, DMK and AIADMK, largely influenced by alliance dynamics. In 2021, Erode East was contested by the Tamil Maanila Congress, a junior partner in the AIADMK-led alliance.

For the leadership of the DMK, the bypoll contest was being seen as an informal barometer for public opinion ahead of the Assembly polls next year. However, with two of its major rivals deciding to not contest, the DMK will be expected to coast to victory even if the election is held.

— With PTI inputs