AIADMK to boycott Erode bypoll, says DMK will "not let people vote freely"

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], January 11 (ANI): The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) on Saturday announced to boycott the Erode (East) Assembly constituency by-election scheduled on February 5, accusing the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government of "not letting people vote freely."
"The ministers and DMK members of the administratively incompetent DMK's (chief minister MK) Stalin model government will misuse their power. They will not let people vote freely. We believe that the elections will not be held freely and fairly," the AIADMK said in a statement announcing to boycott the bypoll.
Apart from that, DMDK also announced to boycott the Erode (East) Assembly constituency by-election.
DMDK General Secretary Premalatha Vijayakanth announced the decision and said, "Last time DMK won by conducting an anti-democratic election. The same style of by-election is going to happen again. Therefore, due to a lack of confidence in this anti-democratic election, the DMDK Party is boycotting this Erode East by-election."
The by-polls 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.
Earlier, AIADMK MLAs on Thursday arrived at the Secretariat wearing black shirts to mark their protest against the ruling DMK government, over the Anna University alleged sexual assault case.
The AIADMK have been symbolically protesting, wearing black shirts, since the first day of Tamil Nadu assembly session, which commenced on January 6.
Even as Chief Minister MK Stalin assured that his government stands with the victim by highlighting that the accused was arrested shortly after the incident, the opposition parties remain adamant in protesting against the ruling government in Tamil Nadu while demanding justice for the sexual assault victim. (ANI)