P. Sathyabama elected in Dharapuram, trumps DMK rival by 9,471 votes
P. Sathyabama of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party won the Dharapuram bypoll by a margin of 9,471 votes. She defeated DMK candidate S. Suganya after a competitive counting process.
Why it matters
The result serves as a political indicator of public support for the ruling TVK party in the region following Sathyabama's party switch.
From fighting a neck-to-neck battle in the initial rounds in Dharapuram (R), the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) candidate P. Sathyabama went on to establish decent leads and romped home by a margin of 9,471 votes, defeating her immediate rival S. Suganya of the DMK in the bypoll on Friday. Interestingly, at one point, the AIADMK candidate K. Banumathi had secured a slender lead and emerged as the frontrunner. However, she slipped in subsequent rounds.
The vacancy was caused by the resignation of Ms. Sathyabama, who had resigned her Assembly membership after winning on an AIADMK ticket in May and joined the TVK.
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