Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa took a massive lead over her nearest rival, CPI's C Mahendran at the end of first round of vote count on Tuesday in the Radha Krishnan Nagar assembly seat by-election.

Counting of votes began at 8 am today.

At the end of the first round, Jayalalithaa got 9,562 votes (including postal votes), while Communist Party of India's (CPI) candidate C Mahendran secured 930 votes. Social activist KR Ramaswamy, popularly known as `Traffic Ramaswamy', got 289 votes.

Out of the 11,188 votes counted in the first round, 174 voters opted for NOTA (none of the above).

Meanwhile, celebrations have already begun at the Poes Garden - the official residence of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, who is expected to register a landslide victory in the bypoll held here recently.

A large number of ruling AIADMK workers have gathered outside Jayalalithaa's residence holding banners and beating drums in anticipation of their leader's victory.

Re-polling at one of the booths in Radhakrishnan Nagar constituency was held yesterday. State's Chief Minister and AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa is expected to comfortably win the bypoll from the RK Nagar constituency.

Re-polling in Booth No 181 was announced by the Election Commission yesterday after it was found that the Presiding Officer allowed some voters 'not duly enrolled in the electoral roll'.

Chief Electoral Officer Sandeep Saxena yesterday said that "the Election Commission has stated that its observer deputed in the constituency reported that the presiding officer of polling Station No 181 in the constituency allowed some of the voters who were not duly enrolled in the electoral roll."

"The Election Commission directed that the poll taken on June 27 at the polling station 181 has been 'vitiated' within the meaning of section 58(1)(b) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951," he had said.

However, CPI, which had filed a complaint with Election Commission on Saturday, alleging electoral malpractices by ruling AIADMK, dubbed the action as 'eyewash'.

The party's candidate C Mahendran said CPI in its complaint had alleged that electoral malpractices were found in about 50 booths but "re-polling has been done only in this booth and it is an eyewash."

Jayalalithaa and Mahendran are facing each other in this North Chennai constituency even as 26 other candidates including social activist, 'Traffic' Ramaswamy alias KR Ramaswamy are also in the fray.

The by-election was necessitated following AIADMK's P Vetrivel vacating the seat in May, apparently to enable Jayalalithaa seek re-election. She has to fulfil the constitutional requirement of getting elected as MLA within six months of becoming Chief Minister.

She returned to the top post on May 23 after being acquitted in a disproportionate assets case by the Karnataka High Court. She had been convicted in the case in September last by a trial court in Bengaluru.

The DMK, PMK and VCK have boycotted the by-election for various reasons.

A total of 28 candidates are in the fray in this assembly segment.