The Congress has retained the Srivaikuntam constituency, for which by-election took place on Tuesday.
In Srivaikuntam, the Congress candidate M.B. Sudalaiyandi was declared winner as he secured 53,827 votes. He defeated the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam's nominee M.Soundarapandi by a margin of 31,359 votes. Mr. Soundarapandi got 22,468 votes. Around 10-30 a.m., the returning officer D. Ravichandran handed over a certificate of election to Mr. Sudalaiyandi.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Bharatiya Janata Party got 3,407 votes and 1,797 votes respectively.
Four other constituencies also went to the polls, in which the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-Congress combine established a comfortable lead over other parties including the DMDK.
Going by the results that were announced after several rounds of counting, the ruling DMK was leading in Cumbum, Bargur and Ilayangudi over the immediate rival, DMDK, while the Congress established an unassailable lead in Thondamuthur.
In Bargur, the DMK, after 15 rounds of counting, was leading by a margin of 53,868 votes over the DMDK. The DMK secured 82,033 votes and the DMDK 28,165 votes. In Cumbum, after 12 rounds of counting, the ruling party established a margin of 55,470 votes over the DMDK nominee who got 23,962 votes. The DMK’s candidate N. Ramakrishnan, who, about five months ago, quit the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam to join the ruling party, got 79,432 votes. In 2006, Mr. Ramakrishnan, who was then in the MDMK, was elected to the constituency. In Ilayangudi, the ruling party, after five rounds, was leading by 18,107 votes.
In Thondamuthur, the Congress, after 10 rounds, secured 78,136 votes, a margin of 52,849 votes over the immediate rival, DMDK. In Ilayangudi, the ruling party, after six rounds, was leading by 21,933 votes.
In Thondamuthur, the Congress, after eight rounds, secured 65,162 votes, a margin of 43,080 votes over the immediate rival, DMDK.
(with inputs from J. Praveen Paul Joseph in Srivaikuntam, K. Raju in Cumbum, C. Jaishankar in Ilayangudi, V.S. Palaniappan in Thondamuthur, R. Arivanantham in Bargur)
