Battlelines drawn for June 27 bypoll

The battlelines have been drawn for the June 27 bypoll to Radhakrishnan Nagar constituency here, with AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa and C Mahendran of CPI, besides 26 others set to face the key election after four candidates withdrew their nominations today.
The Election Commission said four candidates withdrew their nominations today, leaving 28 others to fight the bypoll through which Jayalalithaa is seeking a re-entry into Tamil Nadu Assembly, nine months after she was disqualified as MLA following her conviction in a wealth case by a Bengaluru trial court.
With the EC accepting the nominations of 32 persons on June 11, today was the last date for withdrawal of candidature.

Well-known activist K R Ramaswamy, popularly known as 'Traffic' Ramwaswamy, is among the 21 independents who are contesting the elections.
The bypoll to the north Chennai constituency was necessitated following the resignation of AIADMK's P Vetrivel last month, paving the way for his party chief to seek election.
Following Karnataka High Court's acquittal of Jayalalithaa in the disproportionate assets case that threatened to derail her political career, the AIADMK supremo returned as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on May 23.

She was earlier disqualified as MLA of Srirangam on being convicted in the assets case by a Bengaluru trial court in September 2014.

She was subsequently acquitted of all charges by the High Court on May 11, allowing her return as CM for the fifth time.
All major opposition parties, DMK, BJP, Congress, MDMK and PMK have announced boycott of the election alleging that the ruling party would use money power.
They had also reasoned that there was no need to contest the bypoll as the Assembly elections are due early next year.
CPI with the support of CPI(M) is the only recognised party that is likely to give a fight to Jayalalithaa, who has to fulfill the constitutional requirement of getting elected to the Assembly within six months of taking over as Chief Minister.