Actor Vijay's TVK to boycott Erode (East) bypoll

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], January 17 (ANI): Actor Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam will boycott the byelection to the Erode (East) Assembly constituency, scheduled to be held on February 5.
"Past history has made us realize that in Tamil Nadu usually ruling government will use full muscle power, without following democratic principles, to win a bypoll. Based on this TVK will boycott the Erode (East) bypoll similar to Vikravandi bypoll," TVK General Secretary N Anand said in a statement.
He also said that TVK will not lend its support and any candidates in the election.
The AIADMK and the BJP-led alliances have already decided not to contest the bypoll.
Meanwhile, AIADMK leader D Jayakumar on Friday alleged that the DMK could spend heavily to secure a "fake victory" in the byelection but Chief Minister MK Stalin's "tactics" won't work in the 2026 Assembly election.
"AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami has already clarified our stand on the Erode East by-election. Will the by-election be free and fair? The Election Commission might not intervene. The DMK can spend heavily to secure a fake victory," Jayakumar told ANI.
"However, Stalin's tactics won't work in the 2026 Assembly election. People's anger over sexual harassment, EB tariff hikes, and law and order issues will be reflected in the 2026 election. People are eagerly waiting for the 2026 elections," he added.
Alleging that DMK "locked up" and "tortured" people in 2023, the NDA had said it did not want the people to be "confined" again. It also reiterated its resolve to "eliminate" the DMK in the 2026 assembly elections and provide good governance to the people.
The by-polls, scheduled on February 5, are necessitated following the death of EVKS Elangovan, the MLA from this seat and a member of the Congress. He passed away in December last year.
"As for the Erode East constituency, what is going to happen is a by-election for the by-election. During the by-election held in 2023, we saw the public being locked up and tortured. We all faced the fact that the DMK, in its greed for power as the ruling party, violated all the election rules," the NDA had said in a statement (ANI)