<p>Chennai: Tamil Nadu’s ruling <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/dmk">Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)</a> will contest the Erode (east) assembly by-polls scheduled to be held on February 5 after the Congress, which held the seat, decided to hand over the constituency to its senior ally. </p><p> “After considering a request made by Chief Minister M K Stalin, who is the leader of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc in Tamil Nadu, the All India Congress Committee and the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee unanimously decided to allow the DMK to contest from Erode (east),” TNCC chief K Selvaperunthagai said in a statement Friday night. </p><p>This is the second time that the constituency faces a by-poll in two years due to the death of Congress MLAs Thirumahan Evera and his father E V K S Elangovan. Thirumahan Eevera won the seat in 2021 but after his death in 2023, the Congress fielded his father Elangovan, grandnephew of social reformer E V R Periyar, in the by-polls. The family is seeking the seat for one of its members this time as well. </p>.In Delhi, a poll on perceptions.<p>It is believed that the DMK wanted to contest the seat since only a year is left for the 2026 assembly polls.</p><p> By-polls have become a costly affair in Tamil Nadu in the past few decades with the ruling parties pumping in massive financial resources besides deputing almost the entire cabinet in the constituency to ensure victory, a prestige issue. In 2017, the by-poll to R K Nagar constituency which fell vacant due to the death of AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa was rescinded due to rampant use of money power to buy votes. </p><p> Barring in 2019 when opposition DMK won 13 of the 22 seats that went to by-polls, only the ruling party nominees have won in by-elections since the 1990s. </p><p>AIADMK, which boycotted the 2024 by-poll to Vikravandi in northern Tamil Nadu, will take a call on whether to contest the election on January 11, while the BJP will also take a couple of days to arrive at a decision. </p>
<p>Chennai: Tamil Nadu’s ruling <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/dmk">Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)</a> will contest the Erode (east) assembly by-polls scheduled to be held on February 5 after the Congress, which held the seat, decided to hand over the constituency to its senior ally. </p><p> “After considering a request made by Chief Minister M K Stalin, who is the leader of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc in Tamil Nadu, the All India Congress Committee and the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee unanimously decided to allow the DMK to contest from Erode (east),” TNCC chief K Selvaperunthagai said in a statement Friday night. </p><p>This is the second time that the constituency faces a by-poll in two years due to the death of Congress MLAs Thirumahan Evera and his father E V K S Elangovan. Thirumahan Eevera won the seat in 2021 but after his death in 2023, the Congress fielded his father Elangovan, grandnephew of social reformer E V R Periyar, in the by-polls. The family is seeking the seat for one of its members this time as well. </p>.In Delhi, a poll on perceptions.<p>It is believed that the DMK wanted to contest the seat since only a year is left for the 2026 assembly polls.</p><p> By-polls have become a costly affair in Tamil Nadu in the past few decades with the ruling parties pumping in massive financial resources besides deputing almost the entire cabinet in the constituency to ensure victory, a prestige issue. In 2017, the by-poll to R K Nagar constituency which fell vacant due to the death of AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa was rescinded due to rampant use of money power to buy votes. </p><p> Barring in 2019 when opposition DMK won 13 of the 22 seats that went to by-polls, only the ruling party nominees have won in by-elections since the 1990s. </p><p>AIADMK, which boycotted the 2024 by-poll to Vikravandi in northern Tamil Nadu, will take a call on whether to contest the election on January 11, while the BJP will also take a couple of days to arrive at a decision. </p>