THE ERODE EAST assembly constituency has become the new battleground in Tamil Nadu politics. The only urban segment of the eight assembly constituencies in the Erode region, the constituency in western Tamil Nadu is facing a bypoll because of the death of incumbent MLA Thirumagan Evera of the Congress.
The DMK-Congress alliance has backed Thirumagan’s father, former Tamil Nadu Congress president E.V.K.S. Elangovan. His candidature was decided by the All India Congress Committee with consent from the DMK. “The Congress won from this constituency in 2021 and, as per the alliance agreement, our leader has given it once again to the Congress. The DMK will work for the Congress to win,” said DMK spokesperson A. Saravanan.
The DMK, in fact, started the campaign even before the Congress named its candidate. And just hours after Elangovan’s name was announced, it constituted a committee with a dozen ministers and senior leaders to lead the campaign. Elangovan started his campaign by calling on Kamal Haasan and seeking the support of the actor’s political outfit, the Makkal Needhi Maiam. The MNM polled 10,005 votes in 2021, finishing fourth. Kamal said he would consult party colleagues and announce his decision. Elangovan also sought the support of Thol Thirumavalavan’s Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi and the left parties.
If the bypoll is an opportunity for the DMK and the Congress to show their supremacy, it is an uphill battle for the opposition AIADMK, which is split into three factions under Edappadi K. Palaniswami, O. Panneerselvam and T.T.V. Dhinakaran. While Palaniswami claims to be the leader of the AIADMK and has called for applications for candidature, Panneerselvam said his faction would field its own candidate or would back the BJP if it fielded one. Panneerselvam visited the BJP state headquarters in Chennai and pledged his support to party president K. Annamalai.
“We are ready to support the Palaniswami faction if it seeks our support. As the party’s coordinator, Panneerselvam is even ready to sign the candidate form. You cannot call him the disruptor,” said J.C.D. Prabhakar, former MLA. Panneerselvam’s strategy is aimed at saving his dwindling political career and nothing more. He is ready to field his own candidate or support the BJP or be a joint signatory on the nomination form of the AIADMK candidate fielded by Palaniswami. But if Palaniswami allows Panneerselvam to sign the form, it would mean acknowledging his claim to be party coordinator. “Panneerselvam can only field an independent candidate who will certainly lose his deposit. He is acting against the welfare of the AIADMK,” said former minister D. Jayakumar.
PTI
For Palaniswami, too, the bypoll is crucial as he has to prove his mettle as the sole leader of the principal opposition party. He has to retain the two-leaves symbol and convince the BJP to not field a candidate. “The interim general secretary case might be over, legally. But the case we are fighting in which we argue that Panneerselvam is the coordinator of the party is still pending in the Supreme Court,” said a source close to Panneerselvam.
Erode East being the only urban segment in the Erode region, bringing down the DMK alliance will be a major challenge for Palaniswami as the AIADMK is known for its reliance over the rural vote bank. Though Palaniswami hails from western Tamil Nadu and the Kongu region is considered an AIADMK bastion, winning the bypoll or even matching the 58,000 votes its alliance polled in 2021 will not be easy for the AIADMK. In 2021, Yuvaraja of G.K. Vasan’s Tamil Maanila Congress, an ally of the AIADMK, contested on the two-leaves symbol and finished second. But this time, the TMC readily offered the seat to the AIADMK as Vasan was in no mood to waste his resources.
The BJP is assessing the situation, which is becoming challenging for the opposition alliance by the minute. “The AIADMK is the biggest party in our alliance. Looking at the situation in that way, we will have to support it,” said Annamalai in a news conference. He is, however, clueless about choosing a side in the AIADMK civil war. Sources say the BJP high command in Delhi wants to field its own candidate and add to the AIADMK’s woes. A section of the party feels that a divided AIADMK has opened up an avenue for the BJP to prove its mettle in western Tami Nadu. And with the Congress in the fray, there is added pressure to make it a contest between the two national parties. But for the BJP to win an election in Tamil Nadu with its meagre vote share is an herculean task. “The BJP cannot afford to contest without the support of the AIADMK,” said P. Ramajeyam, an academic from the Bharathidasan University.
As things stand now, the DMK-Congress alliance enjoys a clear edge. “The Erode bypoll is a sure victory for the DMK,” said political analyst Raveendran Duraisamy. “It remains to be seen if candidates of other parties, be it the BJP or the AIADMK, will be able to recoup their deposits.”