Counting of votes for the casual vacancy of ward 16 of Tirumangalam panchayat union began at P. K. N. Boys Higher Secondary School in Tirumangalam, Madurai district, on Tuesday.
In the first round of counting, of the 2,886 votes counted, the major contenders were Jeyaraj of the DMK, who led with 1,861 votes, followed by Tamilalagan of the AIADMK (746).
In the second round, of the 3,317 votes counted, DMK candidate continued the lead by polling 2,003 votes, trailed by the AIADMK candidate with 812 votes.
Total vote position by the end of third round, announced at around 1.45 p.m. was: DMK: 5,469; AIADMK: 2,492; Naam Tamilar: 299; AMMK: 293; MNM: 66; and DMDK:59.
Meanwhile, Nalluchamy (76 votes) won Maravankulam ward 2 of Tirumangalam beating Nagamalai (70) votes, leading to winners bursting crackers on Tirumangalam- Madurai highway, setting the tone for the big celebrations later in the day.
Counting began at 8.15 a.m. in the presence of Election Officer Abitha Haneef and Assistant Electoral Officer Veerachamy
