Erode (East) witnessed a 53.63% voter turnout as of 3 pm in the ongoing byelection, where the ruling DMK faces a direct contest from the Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK), led by Tamil nationalist leader Seeman, following an election boycott by the AIADMK, BJP, and other opposition parties. The bypoll was necessitated by the death of Congress MLA EVKS Elangovan in December 2024, just a year after he won the seat in a similar by-election following the passing of his son, Thirumahan Evera. Given this history, the Congress ceded the seat to its ally, the DMK, which fielded V C Chandhirakumar, a former DMDK leader who joined the ruling party. After casting his vote, DMK candidate Chandhirakumar said that the ruling party would secure a resounding victory that would set the tone for the 2026 assembly elections. “The people are satisfied with the government’s performance. There is no discontent like in North Indian states, where bypolls are imposed due to political manoeuvring. This is a natural election,” he said. While Tamil Nadu’s byelection history has often been marred by cash-for-vote scandals, this poll has been relatively low-key, with no major allegations making headlines. The absence of high-profile campaigners, including Chief Minister M K Stalin and Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, reflects the DMK’s confidence in an easy win. The campaign was led by Housing Minister S Muthusamy and Erode MP K E Prakash. The primary talking point of this election has been whether NTK can consolidate anti-DMK votes, particularly those that would have otherwise gone to the AIADMK and BJP. Despite NTK attempting to frame this election as a battle between Dravidianism and Tamil nationalism, the DMK’s strong voter base and the ruling party advantage make an NTK upset unlikely. The AIADMK and BJP’s decision to skip the election was largely seen as a calculated move to not exhaust their energy and resources as poll battles have grown increasingly expensive. With the constituency witnessing the second bypoll in just two years, polling is expected to remain below 70% as the election is seen as a one-sided affair favouring the ruling DMK.
