Erode (East) bypoll 2025 |47 candidates in fray

47 candidates contesting Erode (East) Assembly byelection on February 5, with major parties boycotting, NOTA as 48th option.

A total of 47 candidates will contest the byelection to the Erode (East) Assembly constituency, for which polling is scheduled for February 5.

Following the death of Congress legislator E.V.K.S. Elangovan, the Election Commission announced the schedule for the byelection on January 7. With major political parties, including the AIADMK and the BJP boycotting the byelection, a total of 58 candidates filed 65 nominations. During scrutiny, 55 nominations, including DMK’s V.C. Chandhirakumar and Naam Tamilar Katchi’s M.K. Seethalakshmi were accepted, while three nominations were rejected.

On Monday, nominations were allowed to be withdrawn until 3 p.m. and a total of eight independent candidates withdrew their nomination. This included an AIADMK functionary who filed nomination as an independent candidate and was later expelled from the party.

After 3 p.m., Returning Officer and Corporation Commissioner N. Manish. Naam Tamilar Katchi told media persons that 47 candidates are contesting the election, while the NOTA symbol will be printed as the 48th option on the ballot paper. He said ballot papers will be printed in Chennai, and an Assistant Returning Officer will monitor the process.

Later, symbols were allotted to all the contestants, and the final list of candidates with their respective symbols was released in the presence of General Observer Ajay Kumar Gupta. Naam Tamilar Katchi was allotted the ‘mike’ symbol.