Erode East bypoll: Ex-Union Min EVKS Elangovan is Cong nominee

Chennai, Jan 22 : Amid reports that former Union Minister and senior Congress leader EVKS Elangovan is eyeing for a Lok Sabha seat in the next year’s General elections, the Congress on Sunday evening sprang a surprise by choosing him as the candidate for the February 27 bypoll to the Erode East Assembly seat.
The seat fell vacant following the death of Elangovan’s son Thirumahan Everaa, who got elected for the first time in the 2021 Assembly polls in hismaiden foray into the electoral politics. Thirumahan was the great grandson of social reformer Periyar and the son of Elangovan.
In a tweet, the AICC said “Congress President Shri @kharge has cleared the name of our Senior Leader Thiru EVKS Elangovan as candidate for the Erode East bye-election.”
“I am sure as the candidate of the Secular Front in Tamil Nadu, Elangovan will emerge victorious”, he added. Later, an official statement was issued by Congress General Secretary Mukul Wasnik announcing Elangovan as the candidate for the bypoll. Elangovan had earlier got elected the State Assembly from Sathyamangalam, near his native Erode, in the 1985 polls. After winning the Lok Sabha polls from Gobichettipalayam in the 2004 Lok Sabha polls and became the Union Textiles Minister in the Congress-led UPA regime, this is for the second time the former TNCC Chief will be contesting the Assembly polls.There were reports that Elangovan’s another son might be selected as the candidate and it gained credence after Congress in-charge of TN Dinesh Gundu Rao held two rounds of discussions with the TNCC leaders, after the ruling DMK, heading the Secular Progressive Alliance, allotted the seat to its ally, the National party, since it had won the seat in the 2021 polls.After holding talks with the party leaders, All India Congress Committee led by Mallikarjun Kharge tonight approved the candidature of Elangovan
for the bypolls, making it a straight contest between the Congress and the AIADMK. Sources said that Elangovan, a former MLA also, is expected to sailthrough considering the combined strength of the DMK-led coaltiion, which had come to power after a gap of ten years under the strong leadership of DMK Chief M.K.Stalin who had judiciously guided the party by winning the 2021 polls with a thumping majority. Elangovan, a strongman in the Kongu belt, is pitted against the main Opposition AIADMK after its ally the Tamil Maanila Congress headed by former Union Minister G.K.Vasan, accepted the request and allowed the AIADMK to contest on the ground that the victory.of the AIADMK Front was paramount as the people.
were dissatisfied with the DMK
regime, which had failed to honour its key poll promises, including the abolition of NEET.
It may be recalled that TMC’s M.Yuvaraja had unsuccessfully contested against Thirumahan and lost by a margin of 8,904 votes. Meanwhile, in a bid to give tough fight to the Congress, AIADMK led by interim General Secretary Edappadi K.Palaniswami, who is also the leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly, successfully negotiated with the TMC to contest the seat and was yet to announce its candidate.
Queering the pitch, expelled AIADMK leader O.Panneerselvam, who still claims to be the Co-ordinator of the party, said his faction would contest the polls, while taking a stand that he would support, ally BJP, if it fielded a candidate. The unitary leadership tussle between the two AIADMK leaders has
gone to the Supreme Court, which had reserved its orders after hearing elaborating arguments from both the sides. In the event of the Apex Court passing orders before the filing of nominations, that would begin on January 31 or later, before the last date of withdrawals scheduled for February 10, there might be alterations from both the camps. . While Panneerselvam claimed that his faction has the right to use the party’s ‘Two Leaves’ symbol, as he continued to be the coordinator till 2026 as per the resolution adopted at the December 2021 meet on the dual leadership with Palaniswami as the joint coordinator and has been approved by the Election Cimmission, it was was not ratified by the General Council, the outcome of the Apex Court verdict was keenly awaited by both the factions, which might change the equations. It may be noted that the Palaniswami camp had time and again stated that they were in no mood to re-induct Panneerselvam and V.K.Sasikala, former CM J.Jayalalithaa’s close aide, into the party and senior AIADMK leader and former Minister D.Jayakumar said in the event of OPS fielding a candidate he would only be treated as an Independent. As the case is pending before the court, both the AIADMK factions have also hinted that they were ready to face the bypoll with the new symbol allotted by the ECI if the Apex Court did not pronounce its orders before the scheduled time of the last date of filing of nominations or withdrawals.