Sathyabama wins Dharapuram bypoll after overturning early AIADMK lead

P. Sathyabama of the governing Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, or TVK, won the Dharapuram by-election with 66,841 votes, defeating DMK candidate S. Suganya by 9,471 votes.

K. Banumathi of AIADMK finished third with 45,280 votes. The totals reported by The Hindu match those published by Times of India. Voting took place on October 6, with the result declared on Friday, October 9.

The by-election followed P. Sathyabama's resignation from the legislature and switch from AIADMK to TVK. She had previously won the constituency in the state assembly election as an AIADMK candidate.

Counting initially favoured K. Banumathi. She polled 2,639 votes in the first round, leading P. Sathyabama by five. Her advantage rose to 592 votes in the second round, 810 in the third and 958 in the fourth.

P. Sathyabama moved ahead in the fifth round with a 724-vote lead and subsequently consolidated her position. S. Suganya rose to second place in round 11 and retained it through the 23rd and final round.

Naam Tamilar Katchi, or NTK, candidate M. Karthika received 5,268 votes. She, CPI candidate P. Lakshmanan and the remaining contestants lost their election deposits.

Counting ran from 08:30 until shortly after 16:00 and involved more than 200 government employees. Of 1,331 postal ballots, the DMK candidate received 613, the AIADMK candidate 406 and the TVK candidate 255.

After receiving her certificate from Returning Officer Felix Raja, the winner described the result as support for the TVK government. The NTK candidate disputed that interpretation and alleged the governing party had used money and benefited from an uneven campaign environment. K. Banumathi said she accepted the voters' decision.

Minister K.A. Sengotaiyan called the victory significant for TVK, which had finished third in the constituency at the earlier election, and promised faster development in Dharapuram. Supporters celebrated outside the counting centre with firecrackers and sweets.

District election official Manish Narnaware said VVPAT paper slips were placed in storage in the presence of candidates or their representatives under CCTV and security supervision. EVM voting machines were also sealed under Election Commission of India procedures. If an election petition is filed, the machines will remain in secure storage until it is resolved.