TN bypoll: 50 per cent polling in Madurai West

Madurai, June 26: Amid tight security, an estimated 50 per cent of the electors cast their votes in the by-election to the Madurai West Assembly constituency today.

Polling, which commenced at 0700 hrs, was peaceful and incident-free.

People lined up in long queues to exercise their franchise.

For the first time, an election was being held, with paramilitary forces entrusted with the security of polling booths/centres. The State police have been directed by the Election Commission to stay 100 metres away from the polling stations.

The constituency had a total electorate of 1,56,180, including 74,649 women, and the bypoll was necessitated by the death of AIADMK Legislator S V Shanmugham on February five.

Despite 29 candidates being in the fray, the contest was essentially among K S K Rajendran of the Congress, Sellur K Raju (AIADMK) and Siva Muthu Kumaran of the DMDK of filmstar Vijaykant.

While the BJP had nominated Sasiraman, the Puthiya Thamizhagam of Dalit leader Dr K Krishnasamy had fielded V Chitrarasu.

The AIADMK was fighting to retain the seat, the party's traditional stronghold, with the Congress, as part of the DMK-led DPA, making a determined bid to wrest it, having lost it in the previous occasion.

UNI

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