TIRUPUR: Filing of nominations for the Dharapuram reserved (scheduled caste) assembly bypoll in Tirupur district began at 11am on Wednesday, with self-styled “Election King” K Padmarajan becoming the first candidate to submit papers before revenue divisional officer A Felix Raja. He is contesting as an independent candidatePadmarajan, a tyre shop owner from Attur in Salem district, said this was his 256th nomination since 1988, filed in Tamil Nadu and other states to underline that ordinary citizens could also contest elections. He claimed that the effort was also part of a Guinness record attempt, adding that he had previously contested against leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former chief ministers J Jayalalithaa, M Karunanidhi and MK Stalin, and chief minister C Joseph Vijay. He had spent lakhs of rupees on filing nominations over the years.According to the election schedule, nominations can be filed till Sept 16. Scrutiny will be held on Sept 17, and the last date for withdrawal is Sept 19. Polling is slated for Oct 6, and counting will be held on Oct 9.The Dharapuram constituency has been a reserved seat since 1967. The constituency has seen shifting electoral outcomes in recent cycles, with AIADMK winning in 2011, Congress in 2016 and DMK in 2021, before the seat returned to AIADMK in the last assembly election.It is for the first time that a bypoll is going to be held in Tirupur district, which was formed in 2009. The bypoll has been necessitated by the resignation of R Sathyabama, who was the sitting MLA. Sathyabhama, who contested on behalf of AIADMK, won the election from Dharapuram constituency by securing 81,100 votes. She voted in support of the TVK during the floor test in the assembly and subsequently resigned from her MLA post and joined the TVK.Meanwhile, DMK on Wednesday announced S Suganya,33, a lawyer and party women’s wing functionary, as its candidate in the constituency.
