DMK fields V.C. Chandhirakumar as candidate for Erode (East) bypoll

Chandhirakumar, the joint secretary of the party’s propaganda wing, had represented the DMDK in the Assembly before switching over to the DMK

The ruling DMK on Saturday (January 11, 2025) announced V.C. Chandhirakumar as its candidate for the Erode (East) Assembly bypoll. The bypoll was necessitated by the recent demise of Congress MLA E.V.K.S. Elangovan.

Mr. Chandhirakumar, the joint secretary of the party’s propaganda wing, had represented the DMDK in the Assembly before switching over to the DMK.

The bypoll is scheduled to be held on February 5.

DMK president and Chief Minister M.K. Stalin announced the alliance’s candidate. In a statement, he said that after discussions with the Congress, a decision was made to field a DMK candidate.

Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president K. Selvaperunthagai, in a statement on Friday (January 10, 2025), said that the 2026 Assembly elections in the State were just 10 months away and based on the request of Mr. Stalin, who heads the INDIA bloc in Tamil Nadu, it was unanimously decided by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) and the TNCC that the DMK would field its candidate for the bypoll.

A postgraduate in Public Administration, Mr. Chandhirakumar, a wholesale textile trader, joined the DMDK as its propaganda secretary when the party was founded in 2005. In 2011, during the Assembly election held for the Erode (East) constituency after the delimitation exercise, he defeated K.S. Thennarasu of the AIADMK and became an MLA. In 2016, he joined the DMK and contested unsuccessfully in the 2016 Assembly election. From 2016, he has held the position of joint secretary of the party’s propaganda wing.

It may be noted that Mr. Stalin had attended a family function of Mr. Chandhirakumar during his visit to Erode on December 19, 2024.

Published - January 11, 2025 10:10 am IST