Vellore (Tamilnadu): The DMK, to the jubilation of its cadres, has won the Vellore Lok Sabha constituency.
The Election Commission announced in this evening that DMK’s D M Kathir Anand has won the Vellore Lok Sabha seat by a margin of over 8,000 votes.
The ruling AIADMK was leading since morning but was pushed to second place by arch rival and Opposition party DMK.
While the DMK managed 4,85,340 votes, the AIADMK got 4,77,199 votes and Naam Thamizhar Katchi, 26,995 votes.
AIADMK’s A C Shanmugam (chief of the New Justice Party, an ally of the ruling party) and DMK’s Kathir Anand were the key contenders of the total 28 candidates in the fray.
Right from the start of the counting process this morning, the AIADMK was ahead of the DMK with the margin crossing 15,000 votes in successive rounds before it dwindled to 6,362 votes by the 10th round.
The poll to the Vellore Lok Sabha seat, originally scheduled to be held in April 2019 along with the other constituencies in Tamil Nadu, was cancelled following tax raids here and cash seizures. Fresh polling was held 5 August.
(With PTI inputs)