Jayalalithaa Looks Set to Return as Tamil Nadu MLA as Opposition Boycotts By-Poll

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, who returned to power last month after being acquitted by the Karnataka High Court in the disproportionate assets case, is expected to win the Tamil Nadu by-poll that is being held on Saturday. 

Jayalalithaa is looking to get re-elected as a Tamil Nadu MLA from the Radhakrishnan Nagar assembly constituency and as most of the opposition parties are boycotting the poll, the AIADMK supremo's return seems imminent. 

Jayalalithaa's only main competition is from C Mahendran of the Communist Party of India (CPI), as 26 of the 28 candidates contesting the RK Nagar by-poll are independents. 

Social activist KR Ramaswamy, also popularly referred to as 'Traffic Ramaswamy', is another noticeable name in the fray. 

Most opposition parties decided to shun the by-poll, claiming that the AIADMK has misused its power, NDTV reported. 

Around 250,000 people will vote in the Tamil Nadu by-poll on Saturday, polling for which began at 8 am and will continue till 5 pm. 

Jayalalithaa has to be elected as the MLA within six months of taking over as the Chief Minister as per constitutional requirements. 

Jayalalithaa's political fortune, which seemed to have hit a dead end with her arrest last September, changed overnight after her acquittal last month.

She took oath as the Chief Minister on 23 May. AIADMK's P Vetrivel then vacated his seat from the RK Nagar constituency.