The DMK, Tamil Nadu’s principal Opposition party suffered a setback as two of its legislators died in the last two days. While S Kathavarayan, representing the Gudiyatham(SC) constituency breathed his last early Friday, KPP Samy, former Fisheries Minister and the sitting MLA from Thiruvottiyur passed away on Thursday.
The death of these two legislators has brought down the strength of the DMK to 96 from 98. The DMK had wrested the Gudiyatham from the AIADMK in the by election held in May 2019 following the disqualification of Jayanthi Padmanabhan, who switched over to the AMMK launched by TTV Dhinakaran.
In the by election held along with the 2019 Lok Sabha election, Kathavarayan had defeated the AIADMK candidate by a margin of 28,000 votes. Since the assembly election in Tamil Nadu is scheduled for April-May 2021, the constituencies of Gudiyatham and Thiruvottiyur may see by election soon.
This is the first by election to be held in Tamil Nadu since the passing of the Citizenship Amendment Act by the parliament.
The State is witnessing widespread protest rallies and demonstrations by Islamic outfits whi ch have the support of the opposition parties. Political commentators are of the view that the by election could be an acid test on the impact of the CAA and the resultant resentment among the Muslim community in the State.
