AIADMK skips Erode bypoll, says no scope for fair election

THE AIADMK has decided to boycott the by-election to the Erode (East) Assembly constituency scheduled for February 5, alleging that the bypoll will not be held in a "free and fair" manner.

- T MURUGANANDHAM

AIADMK's ally DMDK followed suit, saying that it too would skip the bypoll.

This is the second time in the last six months that the principal opposition, AIADMK, has decided to boycott a by-election citing the reason of fair poll. The party had stayed away from the Vikravandi bypoll in July 2024.

In a statement issued after chairing a meeting of the party's district secretaries at the AIADMK headquarters, party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami alleged that the ruling DMK had used money and muscle power to win the previous bypoll held in Erode (East) in 2023 in which the AIADMK had also fielded a candidate. Contending that the DMK would deploy the same tactics, apart from misusing official machinery to prevent peaceful voting, the party had decided to boycott the by-election, the statement said.