Amma in firm control

Since the 2001 elections, the ruling AIADMK has single-handedly won every Assembly bypoll in the state. And the Sathankulam seat proved no exception. If anything, the party’s decisive victory — with a margin of over 17,000 votes — in the latest bypoll is further proof of Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa’s sway over the masses.

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Significantly, while the previous bypolls were clouded by allegations of rigging, the Sathankulam contest was, for all intents and purposes, free and fair. It is indeed remarkable that Jaya should have pulled off such an impressive victory when all the odds seemed stacked against her: the constituency was reportedly a Congress bastion; it had a sizeable population of minorities ostensibly upset over the anti-conversion law; all the Opposition parties except the BJP had rallied behind the Congress; a survey by a reputed agency had reported a ‘‘general dissatisfaction’’ with the AIADMK rule.

So what led to Jaya’s victory? One reason could be the AIADMK’s poll largesse. However, this cannot be the sole reason. In the past, quite a few candidates who sought to buy votes were conquered. As an observer remarked: ‘‘Rigging and goodies alone rarely win elections for parties. At best, they may increase the votes polled by a few thousands.’’

As for allegations about the AIADMK polarising the electorate along communal lines through the anti-conversion law, Jaya did not take up the law as a campaign issue.

Jaya may have needed the support of other parties to stage a comeback to power, but she seems to be moving ahead on her own steam now. Her charisma is drawing the votes for her party. This means that the BJP will need to woo the AIADMK even more desperately in the days to come. As for the DMK and the Congress, they will have little option but to come out in the open and put up a united front to take on Amma.