Puducherry, October 9:
All India N.R. Congress (AINRC) candidate Ashok Anand took the lead in the Thattanchavady Assembly by-election as counting of votes got underway on Friday morning.
The seat, considered a stronghold of Chief Minister N. Rangasamy, fell vacant after he chose to retain Mangalam following the general Assembly polls.
In Thattanchavady, AINRC’s Ashok Anand established an early front-runner position in the initial rounds, with DMK candidate Sethu Selvam and Congress candidate E. Vinayagam trailing behind.
Other candidates in the 11-cornered contest, including CPI’s Mohammed Saleem A. and Naam Tamilar Katchi’s (NTK) Karthikumari, had secured minor vote shares in the early stages of counting.
The leads remain provisional, and the final outcome will depend on the completion of all EVM rounds and the official certification by the Returning Officer.