TTV Dhinakaran wins RK Nagar bypoll with a huge margin

TTV Dhinakaran supporters celebrate outside his residence in Chennai after early trends pic.twitter.com/oOtMhM6v6c

& mdash; TOIChennai (@TOIChennai) December 24, 2017

* Of 38,185 votes counted so far in four rounds, TTV has to his name 20,298 votes

* Official TTV lead over Madhusudhanan is 10,410 votes

* AIADMK candidate has got 9,672 votes and DMK candidate 5,032 votes

* BJP's share is 0.76% of total votes counted so far.

* TTV Dhinakaran: We are the true AIADMK. People of RK Nagar have elected Amma's successor.

With early trends of counting of votes for RK Nagar bypoll favouring independent candidate TTV Dhinakaran, the sidelined leader today said it showed that people want a change of regime.

The sidelined AIADMK leader said, "We are the true AIADMK. people of RK Nagar have elected Amma's successor." He also sought to make light of the K Palaniswami camp winning the Two Leaves symbol after both camps staked claim for it before the Election Commission.

TTV's total lead in four rounds has now touched 11,816 votes. TTV's total votes 19,875 at the end of four rounds of counting.

TTV has clinched round three by a margin of 2,935 votes. His total lead over three rounds of counting, over rival candidate Madhusudhanan, stands at 8,835 votes. Totally, 28,885 votes have been counted so far. TTV Dhinakaran has gained 15,868 votes out of total polled. BJP candidate Karu Nagarajan polled 220 votes, in comparison. Naam Tamizhar Katchi candidate Kalaikottuthayam has 737 votes.

Supporters of TTV Dhinakaran gather at his residence in Chennai #RKNagarByPollResult pic.twitter.com/w5YgNjocpw

& mdash; TOIChennai (@TOIChennai) December 24, 2017

Sidelined AIADMK leader TTV Dhinakaran was leading in the RK Nagar byelection as counting of votes progressed at Queen Mary's College here on Sunday. Dhinakaran contested the byelection as an independent candidate.

Visuals from inside the counting centre #RKNagarByPollResult pic.twitter.com/AuPswwfFID

& mdash; TOIChennai (@TOIChennai) December 24, 2017

Table 1. AIADMK 120; TTV 398

Table 2. AIADMK 128; TTV 398

Table 3. AIADMK 77; TTV 317

Table 4. AIADMK 174; TTV 578

Table 5. AIADMK 156; TTV 588

Table 6. AIADMK 257; TTV 412

Table 7. AIADMK 188; TTV 386

Table 8. AIADMK 103; TTV 243

Table 9. AIADMK398; TTV 390

Table 10. AIADMK 329; TTV 360

Table 11. AIADMK 208; TTV 354

Table 12. AIADMK 181; TTV 302

Table 13. AIADMK 166; TTV 224

Table 14. AIADMK 110; TTV 233

It's a do-or-die battle for both the EPS-OPS combine and DMK leader M K Stalin. No ruling party has lost a byelection in Tamil Nadu since 1999, but the present ruling dispensation, despite regaining the AIADMK party name and symbol, is on a shaky wicket. If it loses, it would be a reiteration of the all-pervading public antipathy towards the governance at play.

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam