All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) on Saturday, announced its decision to boycott the upcoming by-polls in the Vikravandi Assembly constituency, scheduled for July 10, following the death of DMK MLA Pugazhenthi in April. Former Tamil Nadu CM and AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami criticized the DMK government, alleging that the DMK would resort to “violence, money power,” and that the elections would not be fair.
“The ruling party, DMK, will indulge in violence, money power and will not give people the freedom to cast their votes. Elections will not be conducted freely and fairly, so AIADMK is boycotting this election,” Palaniswami stated.
AIADMK senior leader and former Tamil Nadu minister D Jayakumar echoed these concerns, accusing the DMK of undermining democracy in past elections.
“We (AIADMK) have boycotted the Vikravandi assembly bye election. The DMK is a party that kills democracy. In the past, in the Erode assembly byelections, the democratic way was not followed. People were made to lock inside a hall like animals in the name of the campaign. Election officers did not take any steps to curtain their undemocratic actions,” he alleged.
Jayakumar further emphasized that the upcoming elections would not be conducted freely and fairly.
“DMK will try all their short cut ways to win the bye election so we will boycott the election. We announce the boycott for the bye election alone as of now,” he added.
When questioned about the potential impact of their decision on BJP’s growth, he responded, “We have taken a decision based on current reality. The NDA, or Naam Tamilar Party, is not big but AIADMK is the biggest party.”
On April 9, DMK MLA N Pugazhenthi from Vikravandi constituency in Tamil Nadu’s Villupuram district passed away at 71. Pugazhenthi, who joined the DMK in 1973, had served as the chairman of Koliyanur Panchayat union in 1996 and was later appointed as the Villipuram district president. He contested the 2019 bypoll in Vikravandi but lost. However, he won the seat in 2021, defeating AIADMK’s R Muthamilselvan.