Chennai: Springing a surprise, T T V Dhinakaran, sidelined rebel leader and nephew of V K Sasikala, won the high-profile R K Nagar Assembly by-election by a margin of 40,707 votes.
Dhinakaran, the former Lok Sabha MP from Periyakulam, is the first Independent candidate to win from this prestigious seat, which was twice won by former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa in 2015 and 2016, whose death in December last year necessitated the bypoll.(UNI)