Chennai: People in the backward R. K. Nagar constituency in north Chennai stepped out of their homes in droves and reached polling stations on Thursday to voice their opinion on who should succeed late chief minister J. Jayalalithaa as their representative in the Tamil Nadu Assembly.
A record 77.68 per cent of the 2.28 lakh electorate exercised their franchise in the high-stakes by-election that is crucial for the AIADMK now led by chief minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami and his deputy O. Panneerselvam and rebel leader T.T.V. Dhinakaran who has entered the fray as an independent candidate.
In 2016 assembly elections, the constituency had recorded 67.69 per cent polling.
The by-election is the first acid test for Mr Palaniswami and Mr Panneerselvam since this is the first poll they are facing after the death of J. Jayalalithaa. AIADMK’s E.Madhusudhanan, DMK nominee N. Marudhu Ganesh, rebel Dhinakaran and BJP’s Karu Nagarajan are prominent among the 59 candidates who contested the elections.
As usual, women outnumbered men in coming out in droves and exercising their democratic rights by waiting for hours at polling stations in the heat.
