With all the main parties announcing their candidates for the four Assembly by-elections on May 19, the stage is set for the final phase of intense electioneering in Tamil Nadu. The AIADMK has focused on winning as many seats as possible out of the total 22 Assembly by-elections so as to ensure stability of the Edappadi Government —- the ruling party would need at least 5-6 seats to stay in power — while the DMK is working overtime to topple the government through these by-polls.
The late Jayalalithaa had won the last Assembly polls in May 2016 but passed away due to illness barely seven months later. The responsibility of keeping the AIADMK flock together — barring for a small segment that revolted under TTV Dhinakaran and his jailed aunt V K Sasikala — and the government going fell upon Edappadi K. Palaniswami, the surprise dark horse handpicked by 'Chinnamma' Sasikala before her Supreme Court conviction in the disproportionate wealth case packed her off to serve a four-year term at the Parappana Agrahara jail at Bengaluru.