Hours before campaign ended in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry for the April 24 Lok Sabha polls, leaders led by AIADMK supremo and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today appealed to the voters to vote for their respective parties.
In a three-page statement appealing to voters, especially the first-timers, Jayalalithaa said that they should realise the value of their votes and elect the candidates of her party as AIADMK was determined to ensure people's welfare.
"People have realised that for peace and prosperity across India, to ensure Tamil Nadu's rights and due financial resources from the Centre, it is imperative that AIADMK is a strong part of the next government," she said.
She said that despite Congress and BJP forming government at Centre at various times, they were not concerned about Tamil Nadu, as evident in the Cauvery issue.
DMK scion and party Treasurer, M K Stalin, said Tamil Nadu was affected by a series of problems including unemployment and water shortage.
Also appealing to his partymen to put aside 'minor differences', Stalin urged the electorate to return the DMK-led Democratic Progressive Alliance (DPA) in all the 40 seats in the state and the neighbouring union territory.
CPI (M) state secretary G Ramakrishnan, whose party is facing the elections with CPI after the two were dumped by AIADMK, slammed all the main opposition parties including Congress, BJP, DMK and AIADMK on various issues.
Only the Left parties did not have any "scam-taint" and were opposing the neo-liberal economic policies which he said were the "fountainhead" of corruption.
He appealed to voters to vote for CPI (M) and CPI and defeat the candidates of DMK-led DPA, AIADMK, BJP-led NDA and Congress.
TNCC President B S Gnanadesikan appealed to voters to support his party while PMK founder S Ramadoss sought votes for NDA, in which his party is a constituent.