CHENNAI: At the end of a hard-fought election, the ruling AIADMK brushed off all talks of an anti-incumbency undercurrent and retained power in Tamil Nadu, an achievement that has taken its leader, J Jayalalithaa, into an elite list that now has all of two occupants. Such was its performance that from winning 150 seats while leading a multi-party alliance, the AIADMK won as many as 134 seats and improved its vote share with just fringe and marginal players as allies.
By retaining power, Jaya has added her name to a list that now has Congress legend K Kamaraj and AIADMK founder MG Ramachandran. Kamaraj managed this before the field was splintered by multiple players. MGR won back-to-back in 1977, 1980 and 1984, which was the last ever time it happened in Tamil Nadu. Since then, power alternated between AIADMK and DMK, with none getting a consecutive term. Till now.
“The victory is truly historic because no ruling party has formed the government for a second successive time after 1984. We are indebted to the people of TN for giving us this tremendous victory,” Jaya said while talking to mediapersons at her residence after the verdict became clear.
The day began with the AIADMK taking an early lead which it held on and consolidated, some by tiny margins. As soon as the trend became clear, leaders and cadre began to make a beeline at Jaya’s Poes Garden residence. They carried sweets and flowers, and endless rolls of crackers that were burst incessantly. Updates about each round, each lead was greeted with loud cheers and boisterous celebrations, accompanied by more crackers.
Many among the cadre were emotional, as the victory came at the back of reports and exit polls results which said that their party was facing a big challenge. In the war of perceptions that an electoral battle often is, the DMK managed to give an impression that there was an imperceptible undercurrent of anti-incumbency. Most of the pollsters seem to have been influenced by the perception battle.
But the picture was clear within just a few hours into the morning, and congratulatory messages starting from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his cabinet colleagues. Messages from senior BJP leaders Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik among others began coming in.
On the other side of the House, the DMK has not done too bad as was thought few months ago. From the depths it had plumbed in 2011 when it was not even the principal opposition party, followed by the 0/40 drubbing it received only 24 months ago, the DMK has managed to put up a creditable performance. The leap it took in the last leg did not fetch it the throne, though the party still managed to get a large enough number of seats — party treasurer MK Stalin will lead the biggest contingent to sit in Opposition in the history of Tamil Nadu.
Swearing in on Monday
Jaya and the new council of ministers will take oath on Monday at the Madras University auditorium. Prior to this, she will be elected legislative party leader at the MLAs meeting at AIADMK headquarters on Friday. Meanwhile, the Assembly Secretariat has begun preparations to form the 15th Assembly.
| "This election has put a full stop to family rule in Tamil Nadu. Those who believed opinion polls stand defeated now"- J Jayalalithaa |
ASSEMBLY ROUND-UP Congress bounces back in Puducherry Bouncing back from political oblivion, the Congress is all set to form the government in Puducherry. Of the total 30 seats for the territorial Assembly, the national party had won 15 seats while its ally, the DMK, had bagged two. [READ MORE]
Kerala Victory for Left, UDF drubbed; BJP finally opens its account The Left Democratic Front wrested power from the United Democratic Front in Kerala, winning 85 of the 140 seats.[READ MORE] |
| West Bengal Trinamool Congress landslide buries opposition Left and Right The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress swept to a massive victory in West Bengal, winning 211 of the 294 Assembly seats on Thursday, a feat the State has not witnessed in about 50 years. With the win, the TMC will retain power for the second consecutive time. “It is an unprecedented victory despite a joint Opposition unleashing violence. I thank the people of Bengal from bottom of my heart for keeping faith in Trinamool Congress. The opposition had spun a web of lies which has been rejected,” the TMC supremo said. While the BJP managed three seats, the CPI barely made a mark with a single seat. |
The Congress registered wins in 44 constituencies. For the first time in the history of West Bengal, the swearing in ceremony of ministers will be at the Red Road adjoining the Brigade Parade Ground and not the Raj Bhavan.Cricketer Laxmi Ratan Shukla won the Howrah North seat on a Trinamool ticket by defeating his nearest rival Santosh Kumar Pathak of Congress by about 27,000 votes. [READ MORE] Assam BJP wrests power from Congress, all set for North-East chapter THE BJP-led NDA on Thursday scripted history in Assam by breaking Congress’ three-term dream run. Outgoing Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi’s government was unseated by a landslide performance — the BJP, along with its allies Asom Gana Parishad and Bodoland Peoples Front scored big in 86 seats, while the Congress came a distant second with 26 seats in the 126-seat Assembly. The NDA’s Chief Ministerial candidate Sarbananda Sonowal won by a comfortable margin of about 19,000 votes in the Majuli constituency. “Sealing the Indo-Bangla border to check illegal infiltration will be top priority of the BJP government in Assam,” Sonowal said after his win. [READ MORE] |