Updated

Chennai, Dec 24 (Deccan Chronicle): Sidelined AIADMK leader TTV Dhinakaran's margin further widened over that of his rivals by 14,000 plus votes at the end of sixth round of counting of votes for the bypoll to RK Nagar Assembly constituency in Chennai.

“RK Nagar was represented by 'Amma'. The thumping majority which the voters have given is an indication where the Party symbol and the party will remain. I thank the people of RK Nagar & Party workers who have shown massive support for me,” Dhinakaran said in Madurai.

Dhinakaran registered a total 29,255 votes at the end of sixth of the 19 rounds of vote counting, continuing to maintain a comfortable margin over and above his AIADMK and DMK rivals.

AIADMK's E Madhusudanan bagged 15,181 votes, while main Opposition DMK's N Marudhuganesh got 7,986. Counting is in progress.

Counting of votes halted for about 15 minutes around 10 am as a clash broke out between AIADMK and Dhinakaran supporters at the counting centre. “Police restored peace, nothing alarming. Compilation of second round going on,” Chennai District Electoral Officer told ANI.

The result of the by-election to late Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa’s constituency, Radhakrishnan Nagar – popularly known as RK Nagar – in Chennai, will be out by Sunday evening.

Counting of votes began sharp at 8 am at Queen Mary’s college in Chennai.

The counting will be held in 19 rounds and as many as 200 officials from both central and state government services have been deputed for the exercise.

Tamil Nadu and Central Armed Police Forces personnel have been deployed to provide multi-layered security at the counting centre.

On Thursday, RK Nagar saw a triangular contest among AIADMK's E Madhusudhanan, main opposition DMK candidate N Maruthu Ganesh and TTV Dhinakaran. An estimated 77 per cent of the electorate exercised their franchise, District Election Officer Karthikeyan had said after voting ended on Thursday.

Snapping at his heel was Dhinakaran, who is trying to protect the influence of the Sasikala family and destabilise the government of Chief Minister E Palanisamy.

Dhinakaran, who fell out of favour with Palanisamy and also lost the battle for party’s Two Leaves symbol to the latter, is fighting as an independent and has expressed confidence that he can spring a surprise against E Madhusudhanan as well as the DMK.

Some exit polls even indicated an edge for rival AIADMK leader TTV Dhinakaran. However, both AIADMK and DMK have expressed confidence that they would win the seat.

For the ruling regime helmed by Palanisamy and his deputy O Panneerselvam, it will be seen as an acid test of whether voters prefer them after the demise of their formidable leader late Jayalalithaa in December last year.

Success for an aggressive DMK is critical as it would lend credence to its campaign line that the people were fed up with the incumbent "horse-trading" regime and wanted to bring it to the seat of power for dispensing good governance.

The DMK has been bolstered with the support of some more parties, including the Left, MDMK and VCK.

A win in this bypoll could help it project itself as a much more redoubtable key opposition party.

The bypoll held on December 21 had seen a record 77.68 per cent voter turnout.

The 2015 R K Nagar bypoll in which Jayalalithaa was elected by a huge margin of 1.5 lakh votes for the first time in this segment had witnessed a record 75 per cent turnout.

RK Nagar, represented twice by Jayalalithaa, has an electorate of 2,28,234, comprising 1,10,903 men, 1,17,232 women and 99 transgender people.