CHENNAI - Tamil Nadu’s ruling DMK-Congress combine Friday bagged all the five seats for which by-elections were held Aug 18.

While DMK added Bargur, Cumbum and Illayangudi constituencies to its tally, the Congress candidates won the Tondamuthur and Srivaikundam seats.

Reacting to the clean sweep DMK leader and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi told reporters: It is a victory for the state and central governments achievements and the hard work of DMK and alliance party workers.

With the states principal opposition party AIADMK and its allies PMK and MDMK boycotting the polls claiming that the polls would not be free and fair, Tamil film hero Vijaykanth promoted DMDK came second in all the constituencies.

Though it was a four cornered contest with BJP and the two communist parties also in the fray, in the end it turned out to be a contest between DMK-Congress on one side and DMDK on the other.

With these wins the DMKs total tally in the state assembly goes up by three to 98 and that of Congress to 36.

The tally of other major parties in the 235 seat Tamil Nadu assembly are: AIADMK 57 (after expulsion of S.Ve. Shekher), PMK 18, Communist Party of India - Marxist nine, Communist Party of India six, MDMK three, DMDK one, Independents two (including S.Ve.Shekher), VCK two, Nominated one, Speaker - one, Vacant - one.

There were a couple of firsts in the by-polls apart from the boycott call by AIADMK.

This is the first time when all the constituencies that went to polls were monitored by the Election Commission via web camera.

Poll officials were also given mobile phones to send SMS to the Election Commission at regular intervals on polling percentage.

–Indo Asian News Service