Salem: In the Erode East constituency by-election, it can be predicted that the political parties who did not come forward to do introspection by contesting separately, the voters have created fear for all the parties through the election results.
Due to the sudden death of the Congress party’s son Evera, who was the Erode East constituency MLA, a by-election field was formed there. With the upcoming Lok Sabha elections next year, the Erode East by-polls have become a good opportunity for political parties to introspect. But it was seen that all the parties, including the ruling DMK, faced the by-election without trusting in their own influence.
Having ceded the Erode East constituency to the Congress on the basis of alliance dharma, the DMK jumped straight into the fray to make EVKS Elangovan win. Many DMK members, including Chief Minister Stalin, collected votes directly from the people. The AIADMK members accused the DMK ministers of camping in the constituency instead of going to office.
Many people said that if the Congress loses, it will favor the opposition parties, especially the AIADMK and the BJP, and it will mean that the people have lost faith in the DMK’s 2-year rule, and many people said that the DMK entered the election field directly.
Similarly, in the AIADMK, EPS and OPS contested separately and got a chance in the by-elections to demonstrate their own influence. In the past, the double leaf symbol was disabled and two teams, Ja-J, contested the general election. In it, Jayalalithaa contested as an independent under the symbol of a rooster and won 27 constituencies, taking over the AIADMK.
Similarly, political watchers expected EPS and OPS to contest separately in the Erode by-election. But they too were reluctant to meet voters without the double leaf symbol. OPS announced that if BJP contests, they will extend their support. On the other hand, EPS fielded its candidate by going all the way to the Supreme Court, getting the double leaf symbol.
In support of the Congress candidate, many parties including the DMK, the Left Wings, the Liberation Tigers, and the People’s Justice Center have lined up. Many parties lined up in support of the AIADMK candidate including BJP, OPS team, Tamaka, IJK. Exceptionally, with no other choice, the faith that had won the last election in 2011, Demudika has entered the fray alone.
Bamaka, which claims to form the government in 2026, stayed away from the by-elections. The People’s Justice Center took a stand in support of the Congress. Nam Tamilar Party, as always, stood alone. The BJP also created an appearance of contesting the elections and then quietly sneaked behind the AIADMK.
Thus, the political parties faced the by-elections by hiding their faces, changing and relying on alliances and money power. Every day, the news that the voters of the constituency were showered with gifts like money, smart watch, and silver necklaces came out and caused a shock among the people of Tamil Nadu.
Now, the election results are out. The reality is that the political parties have been pushed to the point of not being able to understand the mood of the voters (of the people of Tamil Nadu) through the results obtained. It is felt that the result of the Erode East by-election has created fear among the political parties whether it will reverberate in the Lok Sabha elections or give an unexpected change.
Specifically, is the Congress candidate’s success due to voter support alone, but also to money and alliance strength? It is worth thinking about. People themselves are unable to know whether they are in a pro or anti ruling DMK mood.
Its defeat by a huge margin, despite contesting with the double-leaf symbol, begs many questions about its unity among the AIADMK and whether its continued alliance with the BJP has waned influence.
If they are like this, it seems to ask whether we Tamil party is not in a position to win the trust of neutral voters. After all, is money the only thing needed to win an election? Need alliance strength? Should the alliance be reconsidered? This is the result of the election which has sowed confusion among the political parties.