Erode (East) bypoll | Counting of votes underway, Congress leads by over 38,000 votes

At the end of the ninth round of counting, E.V.K.S. Elangovan of the Congress had secured 60,875 votes, K. S. Thennarasu of the AIADMK 22,483 votes and Menaka Navaneethan of Naam Tamilar Katchi, 5,656

An officer displays the EVM to agents at the Government College of Engineering at Chithode, where counting is underway | Photo Credit: Govarthan M

Counting of votes for the Erode (East) Assembly bypoll, polling for which was held on February 27, began on the morning of Thursday, March 2.

A contingent of 750-odd paramilitary and police personnel was posted at the counting centre, the Government College of Engineering, Chithode, to ensure smooth and peaceful counting.

Monday’s polling recorded a turnout of 74.79% and the political fortunes of 77 candidates, including E.V.K.S. Elangovan of the Congress and K.S. Thennarasu of the AIADMK, will be known today.

The counting began with postal ballots at 8 a.m., while the counting of votes polled in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) commenced at 8.30 a.m.

Postal ballots being counted at the Government College of Engineering at Chithode in Erode on March 2, 2023 | Video Credit: M. Govarthan

Counting status

At the end of the ninth round of counting as of 4.30 p.m., the Congress was in the lead by a margin of over 38,000 votes, as its candidate E.V.K.S. Elangovan had secured 60,875 votes.

Meanwhile, K.S. Thennarasu of the AIADMK obtained 22,483 votes; Menaka Navaneethan of Naam Tamilar Katchi secured 5,656 votes; S. Anand of the DMDK secured 835 votes and there were 370 votes for NOTA.

Since 77 candidates contested in the byelection, counting is taking place on two floors, with 10 tables in ground floor and six tables on the first floor.

The AIADMK candidate K.S. Thennarasu, left the counting centre while the counting of votes for round 4 was in progress.