Erode Election Result Live: DMK's Chandhirakumar VC headed for massive victory, lead touching 50,000 votes

At the end of the ninth round of counting, DMK's VC Chandhirakumar recorded 61,683 votes, establishing a massive lead of 48,240 votes over MK Seethalakshmi of NTK, who garnered 13,443 votes. The NOTA option received 3,020 votes.

At the end of the fifth round of counting, VC Chandhirakumar took his tally to 36,880 votes, leading NTK candidate MK Seethalakshmi by 29,212 votes, who garnered 7,668 votes. A total of 1,590 votes were cast for NOTA.

Third-round counting for the seat is over. At the end of this round, here's how the numbers have played up:

VC Chandhirakumar (DMK): 22,682 votes

MK Seethalakshmi (NTK): 4,030 votes

NOTA: 775 votes.

Chandhirakumar VC is headed toward a landslide victory. His margin has increased to over 24,800 votes.

DMK candidate Chandhirakumar has a lead of over 18,600 votes in the third round of counting. He polled over 22,682 votes while Seethalakshmi is trailing far behind, with 4,030 votes.

The second round of counting is over, and DMK's VC Chandhirakumar is on top position with 15,949 votes. His closes rival, NTK's MK Seethalakshmi, is a distant second with only 2,328 votes. The NOTA (None of the Above) option garnered 517 votes.

DMK's Chandhirakumar is set for a massive victory, with a lead of over 13,600 votes. He polled 15,99 votes while Seethalakshmi got 2,328 votes in the second round of counting.

First round of EVM counting is over. DMK candidate VC Chandhirakumar got 7,837 votes, and his closes rival, MK Seethalakshmi, of the NTK, got 1,081 votes.

Latest reports suggest that DMK's Chandhirakumar  is leading with a margin of 6,880 votes in Erode East. He has got 7,961 votes so far while NTK's Seethalakshmi has garnered 1,081 votes. H Mohammed Gaipeer, independent candidate, is currently third, with 113 votes, and M Arumugam of the Bharatiya Praja Aikyata Party is placed fourth with 44 votes.

First round of EVM ballot has started. Initial reports suggest that DMK's VC Chandhirakumar got a total of 5,211 votes while MK Seethalakshmi got 981 votes.

Officials have responded to the cause of argument between election staff and NTK candidate MK Seethalakshmi. The two, they claim, arrived late at the counting station and were asked to wait till the oath-taking formalities of other political party agents were completed. Seethalakshmi reportedly lost her cool at this and started arguing with the officials.

Reports suggest that NTK candidate MK Seethalakshmi was involved in a heated exchange with election officials at the counting centre. The trouble started when her advocate Nanmaran was denied permission to enter the counting centre and asked to leave.

Counting of votes have started at the Government Engineering College. Officials have taken up postal votes first, opening the boxes in the presence of agents from DMK, Naam Tamizhar Katchi, and independent candidates.

There is a heavy presence of security personnel at IRTT Engineering College in Erode, the designated counting centre. Chandhirakumar VC of DMK, among the favourites to win this election, is hoping to get a landslide victory. His main contest is with Naam Tamizhar Katchi (NTK) candidate MK Seethalakshmi.

Reports suggest that the polling officials have accessed the strong rooms, from where the CRPF will take the ballot boxes to the counting centres. The seals of the ballot boxes will be broken in the presence of party representatives

Security tightened outside the counting centre ahead of the counting for the Erode (East) Assembly by-election. The counting of votes will start at 8 am at Government College of Engineering, Erode.

The bypoll recorded a voter turnout of 67.97 percent on February 5, which was 7 per cent less that what was recorded in 2023. However, analysts say it was still high, considering that both the BJP and AIADMK didn’t contest the polls. This meant the fight was primarily between the DMK and NTK candidates.

The votes will be counted at Government College of Engineering, Erode. According to Erode District Collector Raja Sunkara, the counting for postal votes will begin at 8 am, followed by EVMS at 8.30 am. He added that 14 tables have been arranged for counting of EVMS, while one is assigned for counting postal ballots.

The bypoll was boycotted by most prominent opposition parties – including AIADMK, BJP, actor Vijay’s TVK, and Shasikala’s DMK. They alleged that the ruling DMK would resort to muscle power to win the election, and not follow democratic principles.

In 2023, Congress' EVKS Elangovan won the seat with a margin of 66,233 votes, by getting 1,10,156 votes (64.58 per cent), against AIADMK's KS Thennarasu, who polled polled 43,923 votes (25.75 per cent). NTK's Menaka Navaneethan stood third with 10,827 votes (6.35 per cent).

The absence of high-profile campaigners, including Chief Minister M K Stalin and Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, reflects the DMK’s confidence in an easy win. The campaign was led by Housing Minister S Muthusamy and Erode MP K E Prakash.

The ruling DMK faces a direct contest from the Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK), led by Tamil nationalist leader Seeman, following an election boycott by the AIADMK, BJP, and other opposition parties.

The bypoll was necessitated by the death of Congress MLA EVKS Elangovan in December 2024, just a year after he won the seat in a similar by-election following the passing of his son, Thirumahan Evera. Given this history, the Congress ceded the seat to its ally, the DMK, which fielded V C Chandhirakumar, a former DMDK leader who joined the ruling party.

Voting for by-poll to the Erode East Assembly constituency was held on February 5 in 237 booths across 53 locations. A total of 46 candidates are in fray Erode East, out of which 44 are independent candidates. The DMK has fielded former MLA V C Chandirakumar while M K Seethalakshmi is the NTK’s pick.