It is unusual for an Assembly byelection to evoke too much interest, especially in a State that had had an election which a political party won with a comfortable majority, barely a year and a half earlier. In the past, a few such elections have created ripples: from Dindigul (in 1973, where actor M.G. Ramachandran’s newly formed Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam scored its first victory) to R.K. Nagar, after the death of Chief Minister Jayalalithaa (in 2017, when the “expelled” All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) leader T.T.V. Dhinakaran won).
The February 27 byelection in Erode East in Tamil Nadu, necessitated by the death of the Congress’ Thirumahan Everaa, its representative in the Assembly, is important but not critical for the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). However, for the two factions of the AIADMK, led by former Chief Ministers Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) and O. Panneerselvam (OPS), it is a matter of life and death.
Although the AIADMK alliance allotted the seat to the Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) in 2021, G.K. Vasan, TMC leader, agreed when EPS requested him to part with the seat. EPS was clearly seeking a closure to the factional war within the AIADMK.
On its part the Bharatiya Janata Party appeared reluctant to contest and hinted that it would support the AIADMK. On February 3, after a trip to New Delhi, the BJP leaders said that they wanted the AIADMK to fight the election as one unit; because that was needed to take on the DMK. As if on cue, Sasikala, once Jayalalithaa’s close associate, who nearly became Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, parroted the same line, in a release.
BJP in the mix
Earlier, both EPS and OPS met BJP State president K. Annamalai and sought his party’s support. On February 3, it was the turn of Annamalai and his entourage to meet EPS and OPS. He later said that this was aimed at uniting the two leaders. Ideally, the BJP would not want to do this so far ahead of the 2024 general election, and is exploring all options available.
The EPS faction has the support of the majority of the AIADMK MLAs, Rajya Sabha members (the party has only one Lok Sabha member, Raveendranath, son of OPS), and the majority of functionaries at all levels of the party. A court order has also endorsed EPS as the party’s interim general secretary. Party functionaries claimed that this was enough for the Election Commission (EC) to grant the ‘two leaves’ symbol to the EPS faction.
But, the EC, on February 2, informed the Supreme Court that the AIADMK’s by-laws, which were amended on July 11, 2022 (making EPS interim general secretary), were “under challenge”. Also, since both EPS and OPS claim that each one represents the AIADMK, neither had approached the EC, complaining about the existence of a rival group, and asserting claim to the symbol. The Supreme Court, on February 3, asked the AIADMK to convene the general council of the party to select a candidate. This had to be done by February 3, and the expelled members too had to be included.
The OPS faction has placed its faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and has taken the battle to the courts and all other fora available, including the EC. At the time of going to press, it is unclear if the EC will assign the “two leaves” symbol to either faction, because there is scope to approach the court even after the selection of a candidate. This is a throwback to the past: in the 1989 general election, held after the death of party founder MGR, the party symbol was frozen and two factions, one led by Jayalalithaa and the other by MGR’s wife Janaki, fought on free symbols.
Edappadi K. Palaniswami, AIADMK interim general secretary (second left), greeting K.S. Thennarasu (third left), the party’s candidate for the Erode East seat, in Salem, Tamil Nadu, on February 1. | Photo Credit: BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
In short, for both factions, this election is a fight for survival, and one of the fights will be on February 6 at the general council. Both factions need the BJP’s blessings to carry on with this agenda if the fight shifts to the EC or the Supreme Court.
DMK alliance forges ahead
For the DMK combine, this election is a prestige fight. A. Gopanna, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee’s senior leader and spokesperson, refuted the allegation that the Congress and its allies were complacent because of the confusion in the opposition alliance.
“We began working on the ground as soon as the election date was announced,” Gopanna told Frontline, when asked if the Congress was viewing the challenge from the AIADMK seriously. In fact, both the AIADMK factions announced a candidate only on February 1. By this time, the Congress candidate, E.V.K.S. Elangovan, a former president of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC), had already completed his first tour of the constituency, meeting voters and alliance party cadre. The Congress announced his candidature on January 23, but the DMK alliance began its campaign two days before the announcement. Elangovan is contesting an Assembly election after 34 years. Gopanna added: “The selection of the candidate was done at an early date, and the DMK brought all the allies together. As many as six DMK Ministers are on the ground, coordinating with the alliance partners. Apart from this, since Elangovan is from Periyar’s family, he has a special connect with the people,” he added.
State Minister K.N. Nehru, one of the foremost organisers in the DMK, is in charge of the campaign. He told Frontline that his goal was to ensure that the Congress won with a good margin because the DMK had accomplished so much in such a short span of time after forming the government.
Other parties
The DMK alliance is intact from the time of the 2021 Assembly election. The Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK), the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Communist Party of India, and a few other local political formations are on the ground working for the Congress candidate.
Of the smaller parties which had been part of one alliance or another, the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), which was part of the AIADMK front for the Assembly election, announced that it would not be putting up a candidate. The PMK has supported the DMK on issues relating to State rights while criticising the government on other issues.
Actor Vijayakant’s Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) and T.T.V. Dinakaran’s Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam, too, announced local functionaries as their candidates. Actor Sarath Kumar announced that his All India Samathuva Makkal Katchi would sit this one out and not support any candidate either. Vijayakant and Dinakaran are in a desperate race to prove that their parties are still relevant.
On January 25, actor Kamal Haasan’s Makkal Needhi Maiam announced that it would support the Congress candidate. Kamal had also been part of the Bharat Jodo Yatra undertaken by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, and the bonhomie between them was clearly visible.
The Crux
- For the two factions of the AIADMK, the February 27 byelection in Erode East in Tamil Nadu is a matter of life and death.
- The EPS faction has the support of the majority of the AIADMK MLAs, Rajya Sabha members (the party has only one Lok Sabha member), and the majority of functionaries at all levels of the party.
- The OPS faction has placed its faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and has taken the battle to the courts.
- For the DMK combine, this election is a prestige fight.
