Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin cast his vote in Chennai on Thursday along with his son and Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin and other family members, as polling for the Assembly elections began amid tight security.
Seeking re-election, Stalin is contesting from his stronghold, Kolathur Assembly constituency, where he faces a multi-cornered contest from Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK)’s V.S. Babu, AIADMK’s P. Santhana Krishnan, and Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK)’s Soundara Pandian Louther Seth. The contest has taken on a triangular dimension, with actor-turned-politician Vijay’s TVK attempting to make inroads while the AIADMK aims to regain lost ground.
Stalin’s electoral record in Kolathur remains strong. In the 2021 Assembly elections, he secured 1,05,522 votes (61.4 per cent), defeating AIADMK’s Aadi Rajaram by a margin of 70,384 votes. The constituency recorded a voter turnout of 64.63 per cent out of 2,68,296 electors.
Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin is contesting from the Chepauk–Triplicane Assembly constituency, where he is up against AIADMK’s Adhi Rajaram, NTK’s Ayisha Begum and TVK’s D. Selvam.
Former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam also cast his vote along with his family members at a polling station in Periyakulam. Contesting from the Bodinayakkanur Assembly constituency following a recent political realignment, he exercised his franchise at a polling booth in Tenkarai.
The constituency is witnessing a multi-cornered contest, with candidates from Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Naam Tamilar Party (NTK), Amma Makkal Munnettra Kazhagam (AMMK), Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), Puthiya Tamilagam Party and the Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist), along with several Independent candidates.
According to the Election Commission, voter turnout in Tamil Nadu stood at 17.69 per cent as of 9 am. Tiruppur district recorded the highest turnout at 20.38 per cent, followed by Erode at 19.55 per cent, while Chennai registered 16.51 per cent.
Polling is being held in a single phase for all 234 Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu and will continue until 6:00 pm. The counting of votes will take place on May 4.
The main contest in the state is between the DMK-led alliance, which includes the Indian National Congress, DMDK and VCK, and the AIADMK-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), comprising the BJP and PMK. While the DMK is banking on its welfare record, the AIADMK-led alliance is aiming for a comeback.
Actor-turned-politician Vijay is making his electoral debut with Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), potentially turning the contest into a three-way fight in several constituencies.
Polling is also underway in West Bengal in the first phase of Assembly elections. (ANI)
