Thaindian News

Tiruchirapalli/Puducherry, Oct 13 (IANS) Voting in the by-poll for the two assembly constituencies of Tiruchirapalli-West (Trichy West) in Tamil Nadu and Indira Nagar in Puducherry concluded peacefully Thursday evening.

Trichy West recorded poll percentage of around 55 percent by around 4 p.m. and election officials expected the final poll figure at 60 percent.

Puducherry’s Indira Nagar constituency saw a voter turn out of around 83 percent.

Polling began at 8 a.m. in both the constituencies.

Though there are 16 candidates in the fray for Trichy West, the main fight is between AIADMK’s M. Paranjothi and DMK candidate and former transport minister K.N. Nehru.

There are 208,447 voters in the constituency including 102,924 men and 105,447 women.

The by-poll was necessitated following the death of AIADMK’s Mariam Pitchai who died in a road accident in May near Trichy while on his way to Chennai.

In the April assembly elections, Pitchai defeated Nehru with a margin of around 7,000 votes.

Tamil Nadu’s ruling AIADMK has 149 members including the speaker in the 234-member house. It is followed by DMDK (29), DMK (23), the Communist Party of India-Marxist (10), the Communist Party of India (9), the Congress (5), the PMK (3), the MMK 2, the PT 2, the All India Forward Bloc 1 and 1 vacant.

The by-poll in Puducherry was necessitated after the resignation of All India NR Congress (AINRC) head and Chief Minister N. Rangasamy, who chose to retain the Kadirkamam seat.

The constituency, which has around 29,000 eligible voters, had seven candidates in the fray.

But the main contest was between AINRC’s candidate A. Tamilsevane, nephew of Rangasamy and Congress’s K. Aroumougam.

The AIADMK which fought the April assembly elections in alliance with AINRC, has fielded A. Venkateswaran.