DMDK upset the arithmetic of DMK, AIADMK

Coimbatore, May 11 (UNI) Making its electoral debut, the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam(DMDK)-led by debutant Vijayakanth upset the predictions of DMK and AIADMK in Coimbatore, Nilgris, Salem and Erode district in the assembly elections to Tamil Nadu.

The Coimbatore district was always the bastion of AIADMK right from 1977 except during in the 1996 assembly elections. This time also the district has helped in securing ten constituencies for the AIADMK alliance out of 15.

Of the 39 constituencies in this region, the AIADMK had won from eleven and DMK had secured 15 seats. The AIADMK alliance partners MDMDK AND INTUC had secured one each at Thoandamuthur and Singanallur constituencies respectively, while the DMK alliance partners Congress and PMK had secured five seats each and CPI(M) had won from the hosiery town of Tirupur.

The CPI which contested in Avinashi constituency lost to the AIADMK with a margin of 4539 votes. The AIADMK candidate Prema secured 54,562 votes as against CPI candidate Arumugam's 50,023 votes. The DMDK candidate had secured 14,570 votes.

The DMDK has secured over 10,000 votes to 35,000 votes in each constituency and secured the third position in all the constituencies in this part of the State.

Former Union Minister and senior Congress party leader S R Balasubramanian was defeated by MDMK treasurer M Kannappan by a margin of 9,874 votes in Thondamuthur constituency. Mr Kannappan had secured 1,23,490 votes while Mr Balasubramanian could secure 1,13,616 votes. The DMDK candidate, however, could poll 37,448 votes.

CITU State General Secretary and the CPI(M) candidate A Soundararajan lost the election with a slender margin of 14 rpt 14 votes against the AIADMK alliance partner INTUC candidate R Chinnasmy in Singanallur constituency.

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