This allegation is not exclusively against the AIADMK, but the popular understanding in Tamil Nadu is that it is the party with the deepest and most centralised pockets.
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Polling for 232 Assembly seats in Tamil Nadu continued at a brisk pace, with over 63 per cent of the electorate casting their votes by 3 PM. Justifiably for her millions of fans and supporters as her illness had cramped her election campaign considerably as also her nearly two year disconnect with the people. “I am forever indebted to the people of Tamil Nadu”, she affirmed speaking from her Poes Garden residence, before thanking the party cadre for their efforts that helped the AIADMK clinch victory.
In the two Tamil Nadu constituencies of Thanjavur and Aravakurichi, where the Election Commission deferred the polls to May 23, the Income-Tax Department initiated investigations to identify the candidates allegedly involved in distributing money. The alliance is headed by M Karunanidhi, who is 93, and has said he plans to serve as Chief Minister. 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.
She is all set to be elected as leader of the Legislature Party in the meet, setting the stage for her to be sworn in as the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister for the sixth time. No other party or alliance has won any seat in the elections. DMK was leading in most of the constituencies in Chennai city. Ms Jayalalithaa will be sworn in as CM on Monday at the same venue she was sworn in past year: the Centenary Auditorium, University of Madras.
Fourth, the results show that DMK and other parties perhaps depended too much on the magic of anti-incumbency, both as an old reason for the state’s flip-flop and as a new performance-based judgement. The DMK party has to again sit in the opposition for 5 more years.
DMK supremo M Karunanidhi (Tiruvarur) and his son M K Stalin (Kolathur) won their seats comfortably.
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The third front of the DMDK, MDMK, VCK, TMC and Communist parties did not win a single seat.
