Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections 2021: Exit Polls
Tamil Nadu 2021 Assembly elections: Voter statistics
There were 62.6 million people eligible to vote this year, including 3.09 million male voters, 3.19 million female voters and 7,192 from the Third Gender.
The state witnessed a 72.81 per cent voter turnout on April 6. Karur district recorded the highest turnout at 83,92 per cent, while Chennai district saw the lowest at 59.06 per cent. The voter turnout was 2 per cent lower than in 2016, when the state recorded a 74.81 per cent.
The Election Commission (EC) ordered repolling in one polling station in the Velachery Assembly constituency after two men were found carrying EVM machines. The poll body declared the vote on April 6 as “void” and repolling took place on April 17.
Tamil Nadu Assembly elections amid Covid-19 pandemic
The Tamil Nadu polls were held amid the coronavirus pandemic, just before the nation began witnessing a second wave of infections. Due to the situation, the EC issued strict guidelines to ensure safety of poll workers and voters, including maintaining social distancing, wearing masks, thermal screening, using disposable gloves, decreasing the number of electors per booth and extending voting hours.
On counting day, the EC has mandating from its officers either a negative test or completion of two doses of Covid-19 vaccine to enter the counting centres. It has banned public gatherings outside the centres and also said no victory processions would be allowed.
Tamil Nadu elections: Key players and contests
* Edapaddi K Palaniswami, a four-term MLA, contested the polls from Edapaddi constituency, an AIADMK bastion. He is up against T Sampath Kumar of the DMK.
* O Paneerselvam stood from Bodinayakannur in Theni district, which he has represented since 2001. The 70-year-old is contesting against DMK’s Thanga Tamilselvan, who moved to the party after having sided with the Sasikala-Dhinakaran camp in the AIADMK tussle following Jayalalithaa’s death.
* M K Stalin fought from Kolathur, a seat he has represented since 2011. The constituency in North Chennai has a population comprising Muslims and the lower and lower-middle class. He is up against AIADMK’s Aadi Rajaram.
* TTV Dhinakaran contested from Kovilpatti instead of the R K Nagar seat, which he won in the 2017 bypolls. It is believed he chose this seat due to his party’s success in the local body polls in the region in 2019. He stood against AIADMK’s sitting MLA and minister Kadambur C Raju, who won from the seat both in 2016 and 2011, and K Srinivasan from DMK.
* Kamal Haasan stood from Coimbatore South against BJP’s Vanathi Srinivasan and Congress’ Mayura S Jayakumar. A constituency with largely middle-class and upper-middle-class voters, it was in this Assembly segment that MNM got more than 1 lakh votes in the 2019 general elections. Coimbatore South has about 12 per cent upper caste Hindu voters of north Indian descent who are seen as BJP supporters.
* Udhayanidhi Stalin, Stalin’s son, also made his political debut this election, standing from the Chepauk-Triplicane Assembly seat. He was up against AVA Kassali of PMK, an ally of AIADMK and L Rajendran of AMMK.
* In Karur, which registered the highest voter turnout, M R Vijayabhaskar of the AIADMK was up against Senthil Balaji of DMK. Balaji, who was once considered close to Jayalalithaa, went with the Sasikala-TTV Dhinakaran camp after Palaniswami ousted them from the party. In 2018, he switched to the DMK.
* L Murugan, president of the BJP Tamil Nadu unit, is contesting from Dharapuram (reserved) Assembly constituency
* Premalatha, the wife of Captain Vijayakant, stood from Virudhachalam. Vijayakanth had won from the seat in 2006, when he first contested an election. Premalatha is familiar with the constituency as she often campaigned here her husband. While the region is a traditional OBC-Vanniyar bastion which largely supports the Vanniyar-based Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) party, Premalath, from the Telugu Naidu community, is targeting the non-Vanniyar and minority votes in the region.
* R B Udhayakumar, a Jayalalithaa loyalist, contested from Thirumangalam in Madurai district. He is expected to retain the seat.
Tamil Nadu Assembly elections 2021: Exit polls
All the exit polls have predicted a clean sweep for the DMK alliance. The AMMK and MNM are unlikely to make much of a difference, according to the exit polls.
The incoming government, which will be sworn in by May 24, will face the challenge of tackling the second wave of Covid, which has brought with it a health crisis and economic hardship.
Tamil Nadu Election Results 2021: (from right) Chief Minister Edapaddi K Palaniswami, M K Stalin, Kamal Haasan and TTV Dhinakaran are leading the main alliances in the state.
Squeezed out by the two rival alliances led by DMK and AIADMK, it appeared to be the end of the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK), which failed to bag a single seat in the Tamil Nadu assembly elections, with even party founder T T V Dhinakaran losing from Kovilpatti constituency.
The results announced on Sunday came as a major setback to the political ambitions of Dhinakaran, who floated the party in 2018 to prove a point shortly after his and his aunt V K Sasikala’s expulsion from the AIADMK.
The AMMK’s wipe-out is an outcome of a series of chaotic events – largely attributed to the BJP – that unfolded in Tamil Nadu after the death of the then chief minister J Jayalalithaa in 2016, which not only broke the spirit of the AIADMK but also led it to a forced alliance with the national party.
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Staving off a strong challenge from incumbent AIADMK, the alliance led by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) on Sunday won or has leads in 157 seats out of 234, paving the way for the DMK’s return to power after a gap of 10 years.
At the time of going to press, the DMK had won or was leading in 133 seats (up from the 89 seats it won in 2016); the Congress in 16 of the 25 seats it contested; Dalit Party VCK in four seats; and the CPM and the CPI in two seats each.
Under the leadership of DMK chief M K Stalin, who is set to take charge as Chief Minister, the party had earlier won 38 of the 39 seats in the 2019 parliamentary polls.
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Actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam leader Kamal Haasan faced defeat on his poll debut in the Coimbatore South constituency in Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. BJP’s national women’s wing leader Vanathi Srinivasan, who was trailing initially, gained momentum in the second half of the day and managed to beat the Tamil actor by a slender margin of over 1,300 votes.
The constituency, which gained huge traction from the day the candidates were announced, offered a nail-biting finish with Vanathi being declared winner only in the last round of counting of votes.
The Coimbatore (South) constituency saw a three-way battle between Haasan, Vanathi, and Congress candidate Mayura S Jayakumar. In the first couple of hours, Jayakumar gained some momentum but soon Haasan took the lead. The contest then looked like an easy finish for the Tamil actor until Vanathi made inroads. Since afternoon, the votes swung like a pendulum between the BJP and MNM. Till the 22nd round, Haasan was leading the contest but from thereon, Vanathi never looked back.
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After 10 years in opposition, the DMK couldn’t afford another defeat in this election. That it won eventually is due to a number of factors.
The last time the DMK was in opposition for so long was in the 1980s, for almost a decade, when AIADMK founder A G Ramachandran was in power until his death in 1987. After the DMK’s defeat in 2011, Stalin led the party’s campaign and was its key strategist in the 2016 polls. He erred by choosing to contest alone, a decision that led to the formation of a third front led by Left parties which eventually split the anti-government votes.
The 2019 Lok Sabha victory was Stalin’s steppingstone in the road to power. Ahead of the 2021 polls, not only Stalin but the entire party appeared confident even though there seemed to be no visible signs of strong anti-incumbency. It was the 10-years stunt in opposition that helped the DMK to win votes, especially when the AIADMK lacked a charismatic leader to match the stature of the late J Jayalalithaa.
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Considering the COVID-19 pandemic, the swearing in ceremony of the new government led by his party would be simple, DMK president M K Stalin said in Chennai on Sunday.
Stalin, who spoke to reporters after paying floral tributes in the mausoleum of his father and late party patriarch ‘Kalaignar’ M Karunanidhi at the Marina beach said the date of the swearing-in ceremony would be made known soon.
The date and timing of the ceremeony, likely in Raj Bhavan would be simple and it shall be announced Monday night or on Tuesday, he told reporters.
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BJP’s Vanathi Srinivasan defeats MNM chief and actor Kamal Haasan from Coimbatore (South) constituency.
Congratulating DMK chief M K Stalin for his party's stellar performance in the state polls, Tamil film superstar Rajinikanth said, "I whole-heartedly congratulate my friend MK Stalin who had worked tirelessly and secured the victory in the recently concluded assembly election. I wish him long life and good health. He should receive name and fame by running a government satisfying people across the society."
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DMK leader MK Stalin on Sunday thanked all the voters who helped the DMK-led alliance secure a victory in the Assembly election in the state. He took to Twitter and said he sees the victory as a recognition of his 50-year hard work.“My heartfelt thanks to the people of Tamil Nadu who have ordered us to rule the state for the sixth time. I see this victory as a certificate of appreciation, a recognition for my 50-year hard work in the party as well as in administration. How many hurdles, sufferings, false accusations? I thank you for brushing aside all these things with your votes. I will be true to you, I will work hard for you, forever my thoughts and actions are for the people.My thanks to the million cadres, coalition leaders, and other functionaries. I also thank the other political leader, film personalities, businessmen who wished me on this occasion. The government that is set to be formed in Tamil Nadu, is the government we all are going to run. From now, Tamil Nadu will win, the future will show that," Stalin said.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi congratulated DMK chief M K Stalin on his party's victory in Tamil Nadu Assembly polls. Congress and DMK fought the election in alliance. "Congratulations to Shri MK Stalin for the victory. People of Tamil Nadu have voted for change and we will, under your leadership, prove to be a confident step in that direction. Best wishes," he tweeted.
According to EC data, all India N.R. Congress has won 5 seats and is leading on 2 seats win in the Puducherry elections. Its ally BJP has won 3 seats while rival DMK and Congress alliance managed to win only 1 seat and leading on 4 seats.
Udhay Stalin, son of DMK chief M K Stalin, claimed victory of his party in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
DMK leader MK Stalin took to Twitter to say that those involved in counting at the centres should be monitored strictly. "Nobody should exit the centres until all the votes have been counted. Candidates should contact those in charge in case of any delay in issuing certificate after winning", he tweeted.
He added that people should refrain from holding celebrations owing to the pandemic. However, a few hours earlier, DMK cadres had held celebrations at Anna Arivalayam, the headquarters of DMK in Chennai.
According to EC data, DMK is now leading on 120 seats while the ruling AIADMK is leading on 81 seats in Tamil Nadu Assembly results.
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah congratulated DMK chief M K Stalin over his party's remarkable victory in the Tamil Nadu Assembly polls.
Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav has congratulated DMK chief M K Stalin over his party's remarkable victory in the Tamil Nadu Assembly polls. "Congratulations @mkstalin on this remarkable victory," he tweeted.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal congratulations DMK chief M K Stalin on "a resounding victory" in the Tamil Nadu elections. "I wish him a successful tenure and the very best in fulfilling the aspirations of people of Tamil Nadu," tweets Kejriwal.
According to the EC data, the DMK has now crossed the halfway mark and leads in 119 seats. Its ally Congress leads in another 12 seats, giving the alliance a shot of forming the next government. The AIADMK, meanwhile, is ahead in 82 seats.
Fisheries Minister and AIADMK candidate D Jayakumar is trailing in Royapuram constituency. DMK's R Murthy is leading by a small margin.
Actor-turned-politician Kushboo Sundar is trailing in Thousand Lights by nearly 2,000 votes. Sundar had joined the BJP ahead of the polls. DMK's Exhilan is leading in the constituency. Meanwhile, at the end of the 10th round of counting, AIADMK Minister S P Velumani is leading by a margin of 24,967 votes against DMK candidate Karthikeya Sivasenapathy in Thondamuthur.