Besides entire Tamil Nadu, political aficionados across the country are keenly watching as the counting of votes for the RK Nagar by-poll is currently underway at the Queen Mary College in Chennai.
TTV Dinakaran, the nephew of Sasikala, who is contesting the election as an Independent candidate, was leading with a big margin over his AIADMK and DMK rivals, and seems set for a big win. Thanking voters, he has vowed to bring down the EPS-OPS government in Tamil Nadu within three months. His supporters have already started celebrating outside the counting centre.
Current Leads:
TTV Dinakaran (Independent): 20,298
E Madhusudhanan (AIADMK): 9,672
N Maruthu Ganesh (DMK): 5,091
The by-election was primarily as a contest between Dinakaran and the merged faction of chief minister E Palaniswami and deputy CM Panneerselvam. While Dinakaran contested Independently, the EPS-OPS faction fielded Madhusudhanan. Making it a triangular contest, the DMK fielded N Maruthu Ganesh. The result will decide the political legacy of late CM Jayalalithaa, whose death necessitated the by-election.
Voting for the by-election was held on December 21, and it saw a record 77 percent turnout. The result will be declared by noon today.