Indira Nagar bypoll on October 13

PUDUCHERRY: The crucial bye election for the Indira Nagar Assembly constituency will be held on October 13 as per an announcement made by Election Commission on Tuesday. The notifications will be issued on September 19, said Collector and  District Election Officer  SB Deepak Kumar.The seat fell vacant on May 24 after Chief Minister N Rangasamy resigned from the seat. It was one of the two seats he had contested and  won during the April 13 Assembly elections.The seat is crucial for Rangasamy’s All India NR Congress (AINRC) which has a wafer thin majority in the territorial assembly.  The ruling party has 15 members with the support of a lone independent in the 30-member Assembly, which now has 29 members,due to a seat falling vacant. In  the opposition there are 14 members.The strength of All India NR Congress (AINRC) is 14, INC - 7, AIADMK-5, DMK-2 and Independent-1. With the support of Independent MLA VMC Sivakumar, AINRC  still enjoys majority .It will be a  do or die battle for AINRC to win the seat and retain their majority. Since the electoral alliance with AIADMK and left parties has been snapped,  the party will have to contest without allies in the elections.However, the AIADMK which has five members and DMK, with two, are unlikely to join hands. Moreover, the  constituency is a popular hold of Rangasamy as it was carved out of his   earlier constituency Thattanchavady, following delimitation. In the last assembly elections  Rangasamy  had polled 83.77 per cent of the total polled votes in Indira Nagar, while his  rival V Arumugham (INC), polled 16.23 per cent votes.Total polled votes in Indira Nagar - 24,693 , Rangasamy polled 20,685 votes and Arumugham 4008. This is the first time a bye election is being held for a surrendered seat.