Erode East Bypolls 2023: Nearly 75% Votes Cast In Largely Peaceful Polling

Erode East Bypolls 2023: The AIADMK and DMK cadre broke into clashes at multiple polling booths on Monday.

The voters at polling booths in Erode

Source : ABP Nadu

Chennai: The Erode East Bypolls 2023 witnessed 74.79% voter turnout in a largely peaceful Monday poll. This was the highest voter turnout since 2011 assembly elections, said reports. 

In 2021, the constituency reported a voter turnout of 66.82%. 

Overall 82,138 men, 88,037 women and 17 trans persons voted in the polls. The polling started at 7 am and got completed at 6 PM. Till 9am, 10.10% voters recorded in Erode East.

At three polling booths, the polling officials replaced three Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). All the more, AIADMK cadre paused the voting at booth number 178 by alleging that the EVM was defective. Later, the officials replaced the EVM and then started the poll, said a report on The Hindu.

The AIADMK and DMK cadre broke into clashes at multiple polling booths on Monday. However, the police were able to pacify the party members.

In a polling station at BP Agraharam, Thennarasu came with a towel depicting AIADMK party flag and DMDK candidate S Anand also came in an outfit portraying his party flag. As a result, paramilitary personnel objected to them and allowed them to cast vote after he changed his clothes. 

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The bypolls had 77 candidates in the field including EVKS Elangovan, the candidate of DMK alliance and KS Thennarasu, the AIADMK candidate. The Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) fielded Menaka Navaneethan and DMDK fielded S Anand. 

The counting of votes will take place on March 2 (Thursday).

The bypolls were necessitated due to the demise of sitting Congress MLA Thirumahan Everaa. The former MLA died after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest in Erode. Even though he was rushed to a hospital, he was declared brought dead by the doctors. Thirumahan was the son of Congress candidate EVKS Elangovan and grandson of EVR Periyar.