BJP's Strategic Boycott: Erode East Bypoll and Beyond

The BJP-led NDA, along with AIADMK and DMDK, decided to boycott the Erode East bypoll on February 5, aiming to target the removal of DMK in the 2026 Assembly elections. BJP TN chief K Annamalai criticized DMK's ruling, calling it anti-people and vowed to restore good governance.

The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) announced its decision to boycott the upcoming Erode East bypoll scheduled for February 5. The saffron party's state unit declared its focus on next year's state elections to dethrone the ruling DMK.

This move renders the election a non-event, as the main opposition parties AIADMK and DMDK have already stated their intention to boycott the election, which was necessitated by the death of Congress MLA EVKS Elangovan. DMK has fielded VC Chandrakumar representing its alliance, which includes the Congress.

BJP Tamil Nadu chief K Annamalai described this election as merely a succession of another by-election, following accusations against the DMK for restricting voters during the previous polls. He emphasized that the alliance's future goal is the 2026 Assembly elections with a mission to remove DMK and fix the state's governance issues.

(With inputs from agencies.)