NEW DELHI, MARCH 14: The BJP has emerged as the party to have won the highest percentage of votes in the general constituencies in Tamil Nadu, while the Communist Party of India (CPI) topped the list for the percentage of votes in reserved constituencies.The BJP garnered 53.6 per cent of the votes cast in the five constituencies it contested, thanks mainly to a whopping victory margin in the Coimbatore constituency. In the only scheduled caste (SC) constituency from where it contested in alliance with the TMC-DMK, the CPI won 57.42 per cent of the total votes, according to a PTI computer analysis.Among the major contestants in the southern state, the AIADMK had almost equal support from both the general and reserved constituencies. In fact, of the seven reserved constituencies for SCs in Tamil Nadu, the AIADMK contested six seats to win five with one of its allies, the PMK, winning the other. The CPI retained the Nagapattinam seat, which is its traditional stronghold.The AIADMK's share of votes amongthe SCs was 45.57 per cent, a little lower than the 46.87 per cent garnered by its ally, the PMK, from the lone seat it contested.The DMK earned 44.86 per cent of the votes cast in the three SC constituencies it contested, while the TMC got 32.11 per cent of votes in the other three it contested in alliance with the DMK.Incidentally, the DMK's share of votes in the 14 general constituencies was marginally higher than the AIADMK, mainly in view of its splendid showing in all three constituencies of Chennai. The DMK garnered 46.46 per cent of the total votes cast in the constituencies it vied to win. In contrast, the TMC's share of total votes in the 17 seats it contested was only 40.72 per cent. The PMK again gained more votes than the AIADMK in the general constituencies which have come from its Vanniya stronghold areas.The PMK earned 47.46 per cent of the total votes cast in the four general constituencies it contested, while the AIADMK's share of the total votes cast in the 16 seats it contestedwas 46.16 per cent.Among other parties, the CPI won 13.1 per cent of the votes in the three general seats it contested, the CPM 12.2 per cent from the two seats it contested. The Congress' vote share from the seven SC constituencies was a meagre 4.9 per cent and in the 28 general seats it contested, it received just 4.98 per cent of the total votes cast.
