The counting of votes will decide the fate of approximately 8,300 candidates including chief minister Tarun Gogoi in Assam and CM contender BJP’s Sarbananda Sonowal and Himanta Biswas, chief minister Jayalalithaa and Karunandhi in Tamil Nadu, chief minister Mamata Banerjee and CPI(M) Suryakanta Mishra in West Bengal and chief Minister M Rangaswamy in Puducherry. Notably, ever since the mega scam, DMK’s popularity has been dwindling and it suffered a crushing defeat not only in 2011 Assembly polls, but was unable to open its account in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Jayalalithaa won from RK Nagar by clocking 60,647 votes, 3,527 more than Shimla Muthuchozhan of the DMK.
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These announcements were made by Mr. Karunanidhi after losing the 2016 assembly elections to Jayalaitha led AIADMK in a keenly contest battle.
NRC is presently second with a lead in nine seats. The six-party alliance, which included the Tamil Maanila Congress of G.K.Vasan and the Dalit outfit, the VCK, targeted the DMK for its past “family rule”, but went soft on the AIADMK. Jayalalithaa, knowing this, wooed them with promises in her manifestoes, from discounts on two wheelers for working women to an increase in maternity assistance.
“When 10 parties opposed me, and when I did not align with any party, I believed in God and formed an alliance with the people”. The third front comprising the DMDK-People’s Welfare Front fared poorly with its chief ministerial candidate and actor Vijayakant being pushed to the third place in his constituency.
Addressing party workers, Jayalalithaa called the victory a historic one and vowed to strive for the people with renewed vigour. Today, the maximum number of local body leaders in rural Tamil Nadu are from the AIADMK; the party has been growing roots in an organised way. A win here could enhance party president’s Amit Shah’s standing as an electoral manager.
Karunanidhi, who contested for the fourth time from his native Tiruvarur, defeated AIADMK candidate R Pannerselvam by a margin of 68,366 votes.
Led by Mamata Banerjee, who won from Bhabanipur constituency by 25,301 votes, TMC bagged 211 of the 294 seats, while Congress-Left combine got 76 seats. BJP has so far managed just the one seat.
Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have always locked horns over water and boundaries for decades. Its national ally Congress managed to win only eight of the 41 seats given to it, strengthening the belief among many that a seat to the Congress is actually a gift to the AIADMK.
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Election to the Aravakurichi and Thanjavur seats have been postponed to May 23 following complaints of voters being bribed.
