Chennai, Jan 11 (NationPress) The DMK has officially put forth senior leader V.C. Chandhirakumar as its candidate for the impending bye-elections in Erode East, which are set to take place on February 5.
Chandhirakumar, who serves as the Assistant Propaganda Secretary of the DMK, was formerly a legislator with the DMDK before aligning with the DMK.
On Saturday, DMK President and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin made this announcement.
He emphasized that, given that Erode East is a bastion for the Congress party, consultations were held with Congress leadership prior to the decision for DMK to enter the bye-election.
The bye-election arose due to the recent passing of Congress MLA EVKS Elangovan, who himself had taken up the MLA position for Erode East after the unfortunate death of his son, the former MLA Thirumagan Everaa, who died at the age of 46 due to a severe heart attack.
Chandhirakumar, who holds a postgraduate degree in Public Administration and is also a businessman, began his political journey as the Propaganda Secretary of the DMDK, a party established by Tamil superstar Vijayakanth in 2005.
He first won an MLA seat in 2011 by defeating K.S. Thennarasu from the AIADMK in the Assembly elections for the Erode East constituency that followed the delimitation process.
In 2016, Chandhirakumar joined the DMK and ran in the Assembly elections that year but did not succeed.
Since that time, he has been serving as the DMK's Assistant Propaganda Secretary.
Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) President K. Selvaperunthagai previously noted that the 2026 Assembly elections in the state are merely 10 months away.
At the behest of Chief Minister Stalin, both the All India Congress Committee and TNCC came to a consensus that the DMK should nominate its candidate for the bye-election to support the INDIA bloc.
Interestingly, Chief Minister Stalin attended Chandhirakumar's family wedding reception during his visit to Erode on December 19, 2024.
IANS reported on December 21, 2024, that Tamil Nadu Minister and DMK Erode South District Secretary S. Muthusamy had informed CM Stalin that DMK workers were keen for the party to contest the seat.
According to sources within the DMK, Muthusamy also suggested to CM Stalin that the Congress lacks prominent leaders in Erode East, making it strategically advantageous for the DMK to field a candidate for the benefit of the INDIA bloc.
During his visit to Erode in December, CM Stalin instructed party officials to enhance the DMK's presence in areas considered weak in the district, aiming for a robust performance in the upcoming 2026 Assembly elections.
