Chennai, Oct 9 (IANS) The ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) took an early lead in the Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly bypolls as counting began on Friday, with the DMK in second place and the AIADMK third in the postal ballot trends.

Counting started at 8 a.m., with postal ballots taken up before votes recorded in electronic voting machines.

The initial positions remained provisional, with rounds of EVM counting expected to provide a clearer picture.

The strongrooms containing the voting machines were opened in the presence of district election authorities, collectors, returning officers, election observers and candidates’ agents.

At Madurantakam, 14 tables have been arranged for counting EVM votes over 21 rounds. Two tables have been provided for postal ballots. Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail slips will also be counted separately for verification.

Police personnel have been deployed in strength at the counting centre. Both constituencies are reserved for the Scheduled Castes.

Madurantakam is in the Chengalpattu district and forms part of the Kancheepuram parliamentary constituency, while Dharapuram is in the Tiruppur district in western Tamil Nadu.

The bypolls followed the resignation of K. Maragatham Kumaravel and P. Sathyabama, who won Madurantakam and Dharapuram, respectively, on the AIADMK tickets in the Assembly election earlier this year before joining TVK.

Kumaravel defeated the TVK candidate by 7,194 votes in Madurantakam in that election. Sathyabama won Dharapuram by defeating her nearest DMK rival by 16,727 votes.

Their switch has placed both constituencies at the centre of a contest over party loyalty and electoral support.

TVK fielded the two former AIADMK legislators in their constituencies.

The AIADMK nominated Kanitha Sampath in Madurantakam and Bhanumathi in Dharapuram, seeking to retain the seats under its banner.

Polling was held on October 6 following an intensive campaign involving leaders of the ruling party and opposition.

The contests represent an early electoral test for Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay’s government. TVK won 108 seats in the Assembly election, falling short of the 118 needed for an outright majority in the 234-member House.

Victories would strengthen the ruling party’s legislative position and provide a boost to its claim of public support.

For the DMK and AIADMK, the results offer an opportunity to demonstrate their electoral strength against the new government. However, the postal ballot leads alone cannot establish the eventual outcome in either constituency.

–IANS

aal/dpb