BackClear victory for Jayalalithaa at RK Nagar
The AIADMK supremo won 160,921 votes while her nearest rival C. Mahendran of the CPI managed only 9,669
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Chennai: Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa, making a comeback in politics after fighting an anti-corruption case, on Tuesday won the Radhakrishnan (RK) Nagar assembly by-election by a massive 150,000 votes in a poll boycotted by nearly all her political rivals.
The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) supremo won 160,921 votes while her nearest rival C. Mahendran of the Communist Party of India managed only 9,669.
The by-election, which was held on 27 June, saw a turnout of nearly 75%. The main opposition parties in the state, including the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party and PMK boycotted the by-election.
AIADMK workers broke into applause both outside her residence at Poes Garden and at the party headquarters at Royapettah as the results were announced.
“It is a great victory given by the people. The people of RK Nagar have been waiting for Amma, especially the female voters. Going forward also, I think Amma will win the future elections," said party spokesperson C.R. Saraswathi.
In a statement, Jayalalithaa, known as Amma in her state, thanked those who voted for her and said the victory is a precursor to assembly elections due next year.
Political analyst Raveendran Duraisamy said, “Yes, this does prove that the AIADMK is a strong party but it doesn’t necessarily mean that she will win the assembly elections. The situations are different and hugely dependent on the alliances formed and peoples’ mood at that point. The vote bank of any party is never consistent."
The by-election followed the resignation of AIADMK’s P. Vetrivel to make way for Jayalalithaa’s election to the state assembly after her acquittal in the disproportionate assets case.
In her campaign, the 67-year-old leader claimed that she had no choice but to go to polls due to “cases that were politically foisted", Mint reported on 22 June.
“This was not an election based on issues or personality. It was a clear victory from the beginning—only the victory margin needed to be known. That it was precursor is really overstating the situation, because there was no serious contender. Neither the oppositions’ allegations nor the AIADMK’s claim to achievement is an indication of future victory," said N. Sathiyamoorthy of the Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation, a thinktank.
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