Tamil Nadu state elections- DMK/Congress alliance is leading on 140 seats

 AIADMK/ BJP alliance is trailing behind with 88 seats

DMK led by MK Stalin is leading on 140 seats of Tamil Nadu state assembly elections.140 seats will be more than enough to form the government in the house of 234 seats. 118 seats required to get simple majority to form the government.  The Exit Polls on Thursday predicted the victory of  DMK and allies. The ruling AIADMK/BJP alliance is trailing with 88 seats. It means that 10 years rule of AIADMK  is coming to end  and DMK back in power.

Tamil Nadu's politics revolves around two Dravidian parties  DMK and AIADMK for decades. Congress was used to enjoy considerable support in the state. But  Congress has lost considerable support in Tamil Nadu in the last two decades. 

The verdict is out, well almost, in Tamil Nadu with leads showing a clear majority for the DMK alliance led by MK Stalin. DMK workers in Chennai celebrated at the party headquarters flouting Covid norms. Counting of 234-member Legislative Assembly in Tamil Nadu began at 8 am on Sunday with strict Covid protocol.

While both the Dravidian parties — DMK and AIADMK — fought the elections following a bitter poll campaign, exit polls gave the DMK and its chief MK Stalin an edge. This means the DMK could return to power after a decade.

 While the AIADMK is in alliance with the BJP, the DMK has formed an alliance with Congress. While these two alliances are the top contenders, added to the mix was Kamal Haasan’s Makkal Needhi Maiam. Like in West Bengal, the BJP has also looked to make inroads in Tamil Nadu.

These were also the first elections fought in years without the two party stalwarts and arch-rivals J Jayalalithaa and M Karunanidhi. Polling for the state was held on April 6. In 2016, the AIADMK won 136 seats and the DMK won 89 of the 178 constituencies it contested.

DMK ally, the Congress, won eight seats, while the Indian Union Muslim League (another partner in the DMK’s coalition) won one seat. While till 2016, Tamil Nadu has always voted for a change in government, in 2016 Jayalalithaa managed to stay in power for a second term.

                                                Khalid Bhatti