Erode bypolls: Congress candidate Elangovan leads by comfortable margin

Erode (Tamil Nadu) [India], March 2 (ANI): EVKS Elangovan, the Congress party candidate in Tamil Nadu's Erode byelection, is leading by a comfortable margin against AIADMK's KS Thennarasu, initial trends show.
With 31,884 votes Congress is leading ahead of AIADMK, Naam Tamilar Katchi and DMDK.
The byelection was necessitated by the death of Congress MLA Thirumahan Everaa earlier this year. Thirumahan, son of Elangovan, died of a cardiac arrest on January 04 at the age of 46.
Congress workers started celebrating as initial trebds started showing Elangovan, supported by the DMK, leading at Erode assembly constituency.
"Everybody expected this and our party people were very confident to win. We are going to win this seat with a huge margin," Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge said while commenting on the party's lead in Erode East by-poll in Tamil Nadu.
Speaking to ANI Karti Chidambaram said, "I have already said that previously DMK-led alliance the Congress candidate Elangovan will win with the margin nothing less than 50 thousand votes and trends are indicating that."
"After CM MK Stalin's proclamation yesterday for opposition unity with Congress at its centrality, we will have a formidable front to take on BJP in the coming parliamentary elections," Karti added.
Meanwhile, the counting of votes for byelections to one assembly constituency each in Arunachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and two assembly seats in Maharashtra began on Thursday.
The voting in all these assembly constituencies was held on February 27. In Tamil Nadu's Erode East Assembly bypolls, a total of 77 candidates across political affiliations are vying for the prized assembly constituency.
Erode recorded 74 per cent voting when it went to the polls. However, the main competition is being essentially seen between Congress candidate EVKS Elangovan and AIADMK's Thennarasu.
Elangovan contested the bypoll with the support of the DMK, which is also Congress' bigger partner in the ruling alliance.
After the recent Supreme Court ruling, which allowed him to remain at the helm of the AIADMK, former Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi Palaniswami has a chance to emerge as a tall leader and reaffirm his hold on the party if the outcome of the Erode by-poll goes his way.
However, the AIADMK faces a stiff contest from the ruling DMK in the battle for the prized seat, with the Naam Tamizlar Katchi (NTK), the Desiya Morpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) and several other players also in the fray.
The bypoll was necessitated after the sudden demise of Congress MLA Thirumahan Eveera. Besides counting for the bypolls, counting is also on for assembly elections in three northeastern states Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya. (ANI)