Chennai, Feb 4 (IANS): As the campaigning for the Erode East bypoll officially ended at 6 p.m. on Monday, cadres of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) have shifted their focus to "silent door-to-door voter outreach".
The by-election, set for February 5, has become a direct contest between the ruling DMK and NTK after the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) decided to withdraw from the race.
DMK candidate, former MLA V.C. Chandhirakumar, is pitted against M. K. Seethalakshmi, the women's wing leader of NTK, led by actor-turned-politician Seeman.
DMK, contesting this by-election after taking over the Erode East seat from its ally, the Congress, is confident of securing a landslide victory. The ruling party has been treating the election seriously despite the absence of AIADMK and BJP candidates.
Tamil Nadu Urban Development and Housing Minister S. Muthusamy, who serves as DMK's Erode district secretary, led the campaign alongside local MP Prakash.
Speaking to reporters, Muthusamy expressed confidence that DMK would secure victory with a margin of 1.2 lakh votes.
Chief Minister M. K. Stalin has directed the party leadership to ensure a decisive win, while DMK's youth wing leader and Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin played a key role in mobilising support for V. C. Chandhirakumar.
Polling will take place from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and 46 candidates are in the fray.
The constituency has a total of 2,27,546 registered voters, including 1,10,128 men, 1,17,381 women and 37 third-gender individuals.
Voting will be conducted across 237 polling stations, and the dispatch of election materials to polling centres is scheduled to begin on Tuesday afternoon.
The by-election was necessitated by the demise of veteran Congress leader EVKS Elangovan, who won the seat in the 2023 by-election after the sudden demise of his son, Thirumahan Everaa, due to a heart attack on January 4, 2023.
In the 2023 by-poll, Elangovan won by a margin of 66,233 votes, defeating AIADMK's K.S. Thenarassu, while NTK's candidate Menaka Navaneethan managed to secure only 10,827 votes.
NTK's campaign, led by Seeman, was centred on criticising Dravidar Kazhagam founder 'Periyar' E.V. Ramasamy and targeting the DMK government.
Meanwhile, DMK's campaign, spearheaded by Minister Muthusamy, focused on the state government's achievements. Though the election campaign remained largely peaceful, tensions arose between NTK and Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam (TPDK) cadres on Sunday.
Following the altercation, police registered over eight cases against Seeman, NTK candidate M.K. Seethalakshmi, and party cadres for violating campaign curfews, staging a road blockade, and assaulting TPDK.
The bypoll comes at a time when the DMK government is under scrutiny due to recent issues, including the Anna University sexual assault case and concerns over law and order in Tamil Nadu.
The ruling party is determined to use this election as an opportunity to reinforce the narrative that public support remains strong.