Chennai: The crucial byelection to the four Assembly constituencies besides 13 polling stations (for which elections were held on April 18) would be held on Sunday amidst tight police security.
All the four - Sulur, Aravakurichi, Ottapidaram (SC) and Thirupparankundram - that go for polls on May 19, will witness a straight contest between the ruling AIADMK and the DMK, though Kamal Haasan's Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM), T. T. V. Dhinarakan's AMMK and actor-director Seeman's Naam Tamizhar Katchi are also in the fray. These seats as well as the 18 Assembly constituencies for which elections were held along with the Lok Sabha polls on April 18, are very crucial for the Dravidian majors who hope to improve their tally of legislators in the Assembly.
While DMK president M. K. Stalin who had hectically campaigned, has been claiming that May 23 (when results are announced) will see a regime change both at the Centre and State, the AIADMK whose campaign was piloted by Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami and Deputy CM O. Panneerselvam, dismissed the chances of a new governments in place, as unfeasible.
The Sulur seat fell vacant in March following the death of AIADMK MLA R. Kanakaraj who died following cardiac arrest. Ottapidaram (SC) constituency is represented by disqualified AIADMK MLA Sundararaj while Thirupparankundram legislator A. K. Bose also belonging to AIADMK died last year. Aravakurichi is represented by former AIADMK Minister Senthil Balaji, who was disqualified from the AIADMK. He later joined the DMK.
