DMK and Congress Compete for Erode East Assembly Seat After MLA Elangovan's Passing
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Chennai, Jan 4 (NationPress) The Erode East Assembly constituency is turning into a battleground for the INDIA bloc partners in Tamil Nadu — the DMK and the Indian National Congress (INC).
The seat became vacant following the death of the sitting MLA and prominent Congress figure EVKS Elangovan, who died in a Chennai hospital on December 14, 2024, after a short illness.
In light of Elangovan’s passing and the announcement by Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker M. Appavu declaring the seat vacant, political discussions have intensified regarding the next candidate.
Historically, the Congress has contested and secured victories from the Erode East constituency.
During the 2021 Assembly elections, Thirumagan Evera, the son of EVKS Elangovan, ran as a Congress candidate and won.
Tragically, he passed away on January 4, 2023, from a sudden cardiac arrest.
Following his death, the INDIA bloc nominated his father, EVKS Elangovan, a former president of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC), who subsequently won the seat.
Sadly, Elangovan also passed away on December 14, 2024, leading to the need for fresh elections.
During a recent trip to Erode, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin was informed by local DMK leaders that, in the wake of EVKS Elangovan’s death, the Congress lacks a leader of adequate standing to contest from Erode East.
They asserted that the DMK should assume control of the seat.
However, on Friday, Tamil Nadu Congress president K. Selvaperunthagai publicly declared that the Congress would put forward a candidate for the Erode East Assembly seat.
This declaration was met with discontent from DMK members and local leaders.
P.M. Gnapathy Sundaran, Director of the Erode-based think tank, Centre for Development and Electoral Studies, remarked that the DMK would be a more suitable candidate for the seat, given the Congress’ limited grassroots support in the area.
In a statement to IANS, he said, “The Congress does not have grassroots strength in Erode East and has consistently depended on the DMK. However, EVKS Elangovan was a significant leader who lent credibility to the Congress. With no member of the EVKS family contesting, it would be more advantageous for the DMK to take over the seat.”
As the Tamil Nadu Assembly is set to convene on January 6, the issue of the Erode East Assembly seat is anticipated to be raised by the Opposition AIADMK and BJP to sow discord among the DMK and Congress cadres.
