Chennai: The Election Commission on Sunday announced the schedule for bypolls in 18 Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu to be held along with the Lok Sabha elections.
The constituencies that will go to polls on April 18 are Poonamallee (SC), Perambur, Thiruporur, Sholingur, Gudiyattham (SC), Ambur, Hosur, Pappireddippatti, Harur (SC), Nilakkottai (SC), Thiruvarur, Thanjavur, Manamadurai (SC), Andipatti, Periyakulam (SC), Sattur, Paramakudi (SC) and Vilathikulam.
The AIADMK had earlier announced that its alliance with the BJP and the PMK will extend to bypolls, while the DMK had interviewed candidates for the by-elections on Saturday.
The AIADMK has to win at least eight of the 21 constituencies, three of which are tied up in litigation, to ensure that it completes its five-year tenure. However, three Independents who contested under the AIADMK symbol for 2016 Assembly polls have been switching sides between the Palaniswami-Panneerselvam camp and the TTV Dinakaran camp. Political observers say the AIADMK should win 11 seats to continue to remain in power.
The ruling AIADMK has managed to survive till now as 18 MLAs who pledged their support to Dinakaran have been disqualified. Two MLAs, including Karunanidhi, passed away and those two seats are vacant. Another former minister and AIADMK MLA P Balakrishna Reddy was disqualified in January this year after he was convicted in a 1998 arson case for damaging public property.
The DMK hopes to win a majority in the bypolls to topple the AIADMK government in the state.
A minister told CNN-News18 that the prime focus for the AIADMK is the bypolls and not the Lok Sabha elections.
"Our party has never played a significant role at the Centre irrespective of whether we swept Lok Sabha polls or lost them. In 2014, we swept Lok Sabha polls and won 37 of the 39 constituencies, but our party had no power at the Centre. So, this time, we are only focussing on bypolls as it will be a make or break for us. The reason why we wanted the PMK more was to ensure that we do well in the northern Tamil Nadu constituencies where the PMK has more vote bank," he said.
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