Puducherry, Oct 5 (PTI) The Thattanchavady bypoll here on Tuesday will be a test of popularity for the four month-old NDA government led by veteran N Rangasamy, whose resignation from this seat necessitated the electoral exercise.
All arrangements are in place for polling which will be held from 7 am-6 pm, officials said.
Although a total of 11 candidates are in fray, the battle is being seen as a 3-cornered one between ruling AINRC-led NDA, the Congress and its former ally DMK.
While AINRC founder and CM Rangasamy has nominated Ashok Anand on behalf of the ruling party and its led coalition, Congress has fielded E Vinayagam, who has the backing of the Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), which is in the ruling saddle in neighbouring Tamil Nadu.
The DMK nominee is K Sedhu Selvam. CPI’s M A Saleem and S Karthikumari of actor-politician Seeman’s Naam Tamilar Katchi are also in the fray.
Thattanchavady comes under the Oulgaret Municipal limits.
In the April 9 polls, Rangasamy emerged successful from Thattanchavady and Mangalam Assembly constituencies and retained the latter. The bypoll-bound assembly segment has been his pocket borough as he had never lost an election from here since 1991.
The intense campaign had come to an end at 6 pm on Sunday. The constituency has a total voters of 26,291.
Although there has been no major poll issue, opposition parties have alleged during their campaign that law and order was in “shambles” in the Union Territory.
They had also criticised the government over the statehood issue, claiming the CM has not made adequate push with the Centre.
The ruling dispensation has rejected the allegations as “politically motivated.”
In the April 9 elections, riding on a pro-incumbency wave, NDA won 18 out of the 30 seats in the territorial Assembly. PTI CORR
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