CHENNAI: The fate of Tamil Nadu for the next five years will be sealed on Sunday with the Election Commission of India all set to commence vote counting at 75 centres across the State. The poll outcome assumes great significance as the public this time exercised their mandate in the absence of M Karunanidhi and J Jayalalithaa.
A total of 72.78 per cent of 6.28 crore voters cast their votes in the April 6 Assembly election, while as many as 3,998 candidates entered the fray from 234 constituencies. MK Stalin of DMK, Edappadi K Palaniswami of AIADMK, Seeman of NTK, Kamal Haasan of MNM and TTV Dhinakaran of AMMK were the chief ministerial candidates of the major players.
Eager to make inroads into the State, the BJP too will be keenly awaiting the results. Since the AIADMK’s inception in 1977, Tamil Nadu has only favoured bipolar electoral results. However, with the demise of tall leaders in both DMK and AIADMK, Haasan, Seeman and Dhinakaran are hoping to win in a decent number of seats. Political observers feel that the results would not just decide the State affairs for five years, but would have long term impact.
“Stalin’s win would mean that the DMK chief has established his position as the State’s next mass leader and others will have to trail him. If Palaniswami wins, it would prove that people have accepted him as the AIADMK’s supreme leader,” they said.
Besides, the BJP’s performance will also leave a significant footprint. If it could win some seats under the AIADMK alliance, the consolidation of Hindu votes would get credence, while a poor performance would brush aside the concept of ‘Hindu vote bank’ in Tamil Nadu.
EPS , OPS appeal for restrained celebrations
Chennai: AIADMK leaders O Panneerselvam and Edappadi K Palaniswami have urged party cadre to strictly adhere to Covid restrictions during the counting process. In a joint statement, they stated that all cadre must take precautions as the pandemic is spreading rapidly. They further urged them to cooperate with authorities and celebrate in a restricted manner without taking out processions or bursting crackers