Tension prevailed where the counting for the Sivaganga constituency was held before union home minister P Chidambaram was declared elected by a narrow margin of 3,354 votes.
Tension prevailed at Alagappa Chettiar College of Engineering and Technology, Karaikudi where the counting for the Sivaganga constituency was held on Saturday before union home minister P Chidambaram was declared elected by a narrow margin of 3,354 votes.
Polling agents of rival AIADMK candidate RS Rajakannapan sought recounting of votes from Alangudi assembly segment stating that their party had polled higher votes.
Chidambaram was first declared defeated by Rajakannapan by around 3,000 votes. He sought a recount, after which it was found that he had won, said one poll official. Following this, it was the turn of the AIADMK candidate to ask for a recount, during which his supporters clashed with the police, and the counting process had to be stopped, a police officer said.
“The declaration of results was delayed as agitated AIADMK polling agents wanted recounting. The returning officer held detailed discussions with representatives of the candidates of both parties. Recounting was conducted in four booths of the Alangudi assembly segment before Chidambaram was declared elected,” Karaikudi special branch police officials told DNA over the phone.
The AIADMK workers were agitated as Chidambaram, after an initial lead, continued to trail his rival almost till the last rounds of polling.
Political analysts in local TV channels had also predicted that Chidambaram would lose the seat along with Mani Shankar Aiyar (Mayiladuthurai), EVKS Elangovan (Erode) and Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president KV Thangkabalu (Salem). Chidambaram, however, managed to reverse the trend in the last stages of counting and managed to save his skin by a comparatively small margin.
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