01-13-2009, 06:50 AM
<b>Tirumangalam bypoll: An ugly dance of money and muscle</b>
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The prestige fight between the Dravidian party rivals AIADMK and DMK has resulted in a win-win verdict in the Tirumangalam by-election in Tamil Nadu.
Though DMK has improved its votes and defeated the sitting MLA of the AIADMK alliance, J.Jayalalithaa would sigh a relief as Vijayakanth's DMDK hasn't bypassed her party.
........
This time around, the DMK candidate Latha Adiyamaan won with a big margin of 39,266 votes. The high turnout, inducements brought in more voters (89.89%), helped the DMK camp zoom past AIADMK alliance which had a fall in vote share (down by 4,911 votes this time after it garnered 45,067 votes in 2006).
The dark horse DMDK wasn't able to snatch the no. 2 position from AIADMK, as predicted by some political observers. It also lost 6,834 votes-down from 19,970 votes.
By-elections seldom go against the ruling populist government-voters reserve their real verdict to the general elections.
Meanwhile, the ruling DMK had cleverly issued a veiled threat:<b> after elections are over, distribution of Rs 2,000 ex-gratia for flood affected areas of the constituency would begin.</b>
<b>Well, the message is clear: if you don't vote with us, you are gonna lose out. </b><b>Since both AIADMK and DMK greased the palm of the voters with a minimum of Rs 2,000 for every voter they could catch, issue free gifts like mobiles before elections, the voters had a vision: if we vote for AIADMK the gifts and currency ends there.</b>
Vote for DMK and the greasing of the palm would continue for at least two more years, under the guise of government schemes.
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http://indiatoday.digitaltoday.in/index.ph...eid=88&Itemid=1
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The prestige fight between the Dravidian party rivals AIADMK and DMK has resulted in a win-win verdict in the Tirumangalam by-election in Tamil Nadu.
Though DMK has improved its votes and defeated the sitting MLA of the AIADMK alliance, J.Jayalalithaa would sigh a relief as Vijayakanth's DMDK hasn't bypassed her party.
........
This time around, the DMK candidate Latha Adiyamaan won with a big margin of 39,266 votes. The high turnout, inducements brought in more voters (89.89%), helped the DMK camp zoom past AIADMK alliance which had a fall in vote share (down by 4,911 votes this time after it garnered 45,067 votes in 2006).
The dark horse DMDK wasn't able to snatch the no. 2 position from AIADMK, as predicted by some political observers. It also lost 6,834 votes-down from 19,970 votes.
By-elections seldom go against the ruling populist government-voters reserve their real verdict to the general elections.
Meanwhile, the ruling DMK had cleverly issued a veiled threat:<b> after elections are over, distribution of Rs 2,000 ex-gratia for flood affected areas of the constituency would begin.</b>
<b>Well, the message is clear: if you don't vote with us, you are gonna lose out. </b><b>Since both AIADMK and DMK greased the palm of the voters with a minimum of Rs 2,000 for every voter they could catch, issue free gifts like mobiles before elections, the voters had a vision: if we vote for AIADMK the gifts and currency ends there.</b>
Vote for DMK and the greasing of the palm would continue for at least two more years, under the guise of government schemes.
.................<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
http://indiatoday.digitaltoday.in/index.ph...eid=88&Itemid=1