Thirumangalam bypoll: prestige fight,test for EC

All state ministers have visited the town,and gone from village to village canvassing for DMK candidate Latha Adhiyaman. The Opposition campaign is led by AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalithaa herself,with leaders of alliance partners in tow. The Thirumangalam bypoll is the first election after the alliance equation changed,with the Left parties crossing over to the AIADMK alliance.

There have been whisper campaigns and counter-campaigns,and charges of “purchasing” votes by both parties. If local voters are to be believed,many of them have not gone to work for the past three weeks,and have still come into more money than they have ever had before. Entire families — not just voters — have allegedly got money,clothes and small gold jewellery. ‘Deals’ have been happening at night or early in the morning,with money changing hands over promises of votes on January 9.

An AIADMK ‘sting’ has caught Local Administration Minister and Chief Minister M Karunanidhi’s younger son M K Stalin handing out cash to the public. The Election Commission has directed local officials to file charges against the Minister,but Stalin has said he was only giving a gift for a newborn baby.

The election was forced by the death of sitting MLA Veera Elavarasan of the MDMK. The AIADMK has fielded Muthuramalingam,ex-MLA from the seat and a former DMK man,against Latha Adhiyaman,a local councillor.

Latha’s campaign has been about the DMK Government’s development and welfare schemes. The AIADMK campaign has focused on allegations of corruption,the inept handling of the power crisis,and above all,the Chief Minister’s elder son,M K Azhagiri,accusing him of being a quasi power centre without responsibility.

Madurai is known as Azhagiri’s fiefdom. DMK-alliance candidates have won the last two by-elections here,and his supporters are backing him for a hat-trick. But things may not be easy this time. Azhagiri was peeved at the selection of the candidate,and initially refusing to head the campaign.

“Thirumangalam has leaned towards AIADMK in the past. Even when MDMK,without a similar support base,contested in 2006,the alliance was able to win by a margin of over 4,000 votes. This time,the CPM and CPI have joined us,and PMK ¿ once a DMK ally — has not expressed support to anyone. We are expecting a victory margin of about 10,000 votes,” said Ravi,a local AIADMK leader.

The high-voltage campaign has seen several instances of violence. The Election Commission has transferred three senior police officers and deployed central forces in the constituency. Chief Election Officer Naresh Gupta has directed local authorities to evict outsiders—including ministers and other VIPs under state protection—after Wednesday,the last day of campaigning. Counting is on January 12.