Dinakaran trounces AIADMK, DMK to win R.K. Nagar bypoll (Third Lead)

Sidelined AIADMK leader T.T.V.Dinakaran on Sunday won the Radhakrishnan Nagar (R.K.Nagar) assembly constituency here, trouncing his nearest AIADMK rival E.Madhusudhanan by a margin of 40,707 votes.

Contesting as an Independent candidate, Dinakaran got 89,013 votes as against Madhusudhanan's 48,306 votes. The DMKs' N.Marudhu Ganesh came a poor third securing 24,681 votes.

Supporters of Dinakaran celebrated the victory by dancing, distributing sweets and bursting crackers.

From the start, Dinakaran was in the lead and the gap between him and the rivals kept on widening as the counting progressed. Earlier in the day, Dinakaran, speaking to reporters at the Madurai airport, predicted that the government headed by Chief Minister K. Palaniswami will fall in three months time.

He said the people in R.K. Nagar have reflected the views of the Tamil Nadu's populace.

While 2,373 voters have voted for 'none of the above' (NOTA) option, BJP candidate K.Nagarajan has got 1,417 votes and Naam Tamizhar party's Kalaikotudhayam got 3,860 votes.

The R.K. Nagar constituency fell vacant after the death of its sitting member, late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J.Jayalalithaa on December 5, 2016.

The by-poll was held on December 21 and around 1.77 lakh voters exercising their democratic right.

--IANS

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