MK Stalin-led DMK to urge poll body to hold by-elections for all 21 seats in Tamil Nadu

CHENNAI: DMK president MK Stalin has vowed to ensure that the Election Commission conducts byelections for all the 21 vacant seats in Tamil Nadu and not just 18 as announced by the poll body. The MLA tally in the state assembly indicates a precarious position for the ruling AIADMK, meaning an abysmal performance could end in loss of majority in the House.

“It is not a practice to stop elections in view of pending litigation. My question is what is the need to stop elections when there is no stay on polls in these seats,” Stalin asked after a district functionary meeting in Chennai.

After chief election commissioner Sunil Arora announced on Sunday that bypolls to fill assembly vacancies will be conducted simultaneously with the parliamentary polls, state’s chief electoral officer Sathyabrata Sahoo said elections to three constituencies — Aravakurichi, Thi r upa rankundram and Ottapidaram — were postponed due to litigations related to these seats.

According to the official website of the state legislature, AIADMK has 114 MLAs on its side. However, the count drops by three, effectively, in view of three legislators having openly sided with VK Sasikala’s nephew TTV Dhinakaran. The AIADMK’s strength could weaken further if three other lawmakers belonging to other parties who had contested on the ‘Two Leaves’ symbol decide to withdraw support.

In the worst-case scenario, the AIADMK would be required to win eight of the 18 seats to reach the half-way mark in the assembly. The DMK, having sensed the imminent danger to AIADMK’s majority in the assembly, is pushing for a fullfledged bypoll to leverage the low MLA count of the ruling party.

The DMK president has said legal options are also being considered to ensure a full-f ledged bypoll season in Tamil Nadu.