Congress thanks CM Vijay for acknowledging the allies role in TVK’s bypolls victory | India News
NEW DELHI: Congress leader SM Hidayathullah on Sunday thanked chief minister C Joseph Vijay for acknowledging that the alliance partners were also a reason for the victory.He said said Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam’s (TVK) victories in the Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly bypolls were widely anticipated, while acknowledging the role played by alliance partners in the ruling party’s electoral success.“It was highly expected that TVK would win in the two by-election constituencies. In particular, in Dharapuram, they overcame a vote difference of more than 45,000, which was the margin in the general election… I thank him for acknowledging that the alliance partners were also a reason for the victory,” the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) vice-president said.His remarks came after Gandhi held a meeting with Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay, marking their first interaction since the TVK-led Secular Social Justice Victory (SSV) Alliance was formally named. The meeting also followed TVK’s entry into the INDIA bloc and its victories in the October 6 bypolls.TVK, Congress, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) are among the constituents of the SSV alliance.The results brought renewed attention to the role of TVK’s alliance partners in the ruling party’s electoral performance. Congress, VCK, IUML and other allies campaigned alongside TVK candidates, with alliance leaders appearing together during the bypoll campaign.
Big bypolls victory for TVK
Vijay’s party won both constituencies barely five months after forming the government in Tamil Nadu, increasing its strength in the 234-member Assembly from 107 to 109 seats.Former AIADMK legislators Maragatham Kumaravel and P Sathyabama contested the bypolls on TVK tickets after switching parties around 20 days after the April 23 Assembly elections.Maragatham won Madurantakam by 20,040 votes, securing 74,048 votes against DMK candidate I Paranthaman’s 54,008. AIADMK, which had won the seat in April, finished third with 47,450 votes.Sathyabama retained Dharapuram by a margin of 9,471 votes. Her winning margin was lower than the 16,727 votes she secured in the April Assembly election while contesting as an AIADMK candidate.The results marked TVK’s first electoral test since forming the government. However, the party still needs nine more seats to reach the simple majority mark of 118 in the 234-member Assembly.
Vijay rips into Stalin’s DMK
Vijay described the twin victories as a rejection of money-driven electoral practices and a response to his critics. He claimed his party had won without distributing money to voters or confining them, and without resorting to what he described as the Thirumangalam and Erode East electoral formulas.
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“This is an unprecedented victory in Tamil Nadu’s byelection history, achieved by completely dismantling the very formula of money-driven politics,” he said.The victories also triggered criticism from opposition leaders. DMK president M K Stalin described the outcome as a temporary victory for betrayal, while AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami alleged misuse of power.TVK’s win in Madurantakam was accompanied by a significant change in the vote shares of its rivals. Maragatham increased her tally by 4,764 votes compared with her April performance, while the DMK and AIADMK recorded declines in their respective vote counts. Her winning margin also rose from 7,194 votes in April to 20,040 in October.In Dharapuram, however, Sathyabama’s victory margin narrowed, indicating a closer contest than in the previous election.
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