Chennai: Dealing yet another blow to arch
rival AIADMK, ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday won the Vandavasi
and Tiruchendur Assembly seats which went to by-polls on
December 19.
In the bitterly fought polls, DMK's Anitha R
Radhakrishnan trounced AIADMK's T Narayanan by an impressive
margin of over 46,000 votes in Tiruchendur, while his
colleague Kamalakannan romped home in Vandavasi by over 38,000
votes against AIADMK's Munusami.
DMK has retained Vandavasi and wrested the Tiruchendur
seat from AIADMK. Radhakrishnan, who had represented
Tiruchendur as AIADMK MLA, had crossed over to DMK after
resigning the seat, necessitating the bye-election.
DMK's triumph marks a complete success for the party
this year which it started on a winning note, humbling AIADMK
in the Tirumangalam by-polls, followed by an impressive
performance in the May Lok Sabha polls and bagging five seats
with its ally Congress in the August bye-elections.
In Lok Sabha elections, the DMK-led alliance had won
28 of the 40 seats in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, dashing high
hopes of the AIADMK-front.
Elated over today's victory, DMK president and Chief
Minister M Karunanidhi said: "People voted for our party due
to our government's achievements and the importance we accord
in solving their problems."
The DMK's strength in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly
had gone up to 99. Congress is extending support from outside
to the Karunanidhi ministry.
DMK cadres celebrated the victory by distributing sweets
and bursting crackers at the party headquarters, Anna
Arivalayam here, where they had thronged in good numbers.
AIADMK had boycotted the August 18 by-polls, saying it
would not be free and fair, making it a cakewalk for the DMK
front.
Today's poll outcome comes as another jolt to Jayalalithaa
who is yet to recover from the drubbing her party received in
the earlier elections and had hoped to make a morale-boosting
comeback. She had actively campaigned for the bypolls.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, December 23, 2009, 14:58