AIADMK Voters Switch Loyalty to TVK in Bypolls

CHENNAI: A large segment of AIADMK voters have moved to the Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) in the by-polls held at Madurantakam and Dharapuram since the votes gained by the ruling party are almost equal to the AIADMK’s loss, while the DMK has kept its votes intact.

DMK president M.K. Stalin and AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami harped on the theme of ‘horse-trading’ in their election campaign and complained that the former AIADMK MLAs fielded by the TVK as candidates had betrayed the AIADMK.

The charge of the two Dravidian parties was countered by the TVK leaders who said the AIADMK legislators defected since Palaniswami planned to form a government with the DMK, betraying the legacy of AIADMK founder MGR and his successor J. Jayalalithaa.

The TVK leaders, commenting on the election results, emphatically said the people’s court has rejected the ‘horse-trading’ charges raised by the DMK and AIADMK.

Minister K.G. Arunraj, commenting on the results on Saturday, said, “The DMK and AIADMK were indulging in a false campaign that TVK is involved in ‘horse-trading’ of AIADMK MLAs. We clearly told the people that Palaniswami has betrayed the legacy of MGR and Jayalalithaa by deciding to join hands with the DMK, and people have accepted it.”

In the AIADMK’s Kongu bastion of Dharapuram, where it polled 40.56 per cent votes in the Assembly elections in April and won the seat, the TVK, which was in the third spot with just 23.23 per cent votes, gained about 14 per cent votes, a huge swing in just four months. The AIADMK votes showed an erosion of about 15 per cent and the vote share dipped to 25.08 per cent in the by-poll.

The DMK, which garnered 32.2 per cent votes in the April elections, maintained its vote bank in the by-poll as it received 31.76 per cent votes.

The TVK’s gain is nearly equal to the AIADMK’s loss, indicating a large-scale migration of AIADMK voters to Joseph Vijay’s party.

In Madurantakam, too, the DMK, which bagged 30.18 per cent votes in the April elections, got 29.15 per cent votes, almost maintaining its vote share despite the loss of many allies.

However, the AIADMK votes came down to 25.61 per cent in the by-poll from 34.95 per cent in the April Assembly elections, showing a decline of about 9 per cent votes.

The TVK, which secured 31.32 per cent in the general elections, added the same 9 per cent votes to receive 39.96 per cent in the by-poll, clearly showing that it had gained the AIADMK votes.

After the TVK’s launch, its leaders have been claiming the legacy of former chief minister MGR. On November 22 last year, Joseph Vijay who addressed a public meeting at Kanchipuram, said MGR formed the AIADMK to carry out the vision and ideals of the Dravidian icon, Annadurai, since the DMK had abandoned his principles. The TVK has stepped into the shoes of MGR to fulfil the ideals of Anna, he said, strategically positioning his party in AIADMK’s place.

Now, after the by-poll results, minister Aadhav Arjuna asserted “the TVK is the new AIADMK and the whistle symbol replaces the two leaves”.

Maragadham Kumaravel, the victorious candidate in Madurantakam, said, “People see our leader Joseph Vijay in the same way they considered our leaders MGR and Jayalalithaa.”