NE NEWS SERVICE
CHENNAI, MAY 2
The DMK is leading in 120 segments, two seats more than the minimum for a simple majority in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly and its allies in 19, giving the front a comfortable leeway as counting of votes progressed on Sunday for the April 6 assembly elections.
The AIADMK is ahead in 80 seats and together with its partners in 91 constituencies, according to trends made available by the Election Commission for 232 segments till 1.45 pm.
Victory in 120 of the total 234 constituencies will ensure a simple majority. A key pointer in the trends available so far is that the AIADMK continued as a force to be reckoned with despite the burden of a 10-year anti-incumbency.
Various exit polls had predicted a landslide for the DMK and together with its allies, up to a maximum of 200 seats. In the DMK front, the Congress is leading in 12 segments, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi in three, and the two Left parties together in four seats.
AIADMK’s allies the PMK and BJP are ahead in 10 and four segments, resepectively. Top two AIADMK leaders, Chief Minister K Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam are leading in their respective home segments of Edappadi (Salem district) and Bodinayakanur (Theni).
Leader of opposition and DMK president M K Stalin was ahead in Kolathur constituency here and his son and party youth wing secretary Udhayanidhi Stalin in Chepauk-Triplicane segment.
Fortunes of Haasan and Jayakumar keep swinging
In Coimbatore South, the fight is neck and neck between Makkal Needhi Maiam chief Kamal Haasan and Congress party’s Mayura Jayakumar while BJP’s Vanathi Srinivasan is in third spot currently. The fortunes of Haasan and Jayakumar kept swinging as votes were taken up for counting from various areas and the MNM chief is leading by a thin margin of 534 votes at the end of the third round.
The counting exercise is estimated to be completed after anywhere between a minimum of 13 and a maximum of 43 rounds -depending upon votes polled in each segment- in each of the 234 Assembly segments.
TTV Dhinakaran trails behind AIADMK
DMK’s key leaders M R K Panneerselvam (Kurinjipadi) and Duraimurugan (Katpadi) were trailing, while AIADMK’s expelled leader and Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam chief TTV Dhinakaran was behind his rival, AIADMK leader and Minister Kadambur C Raju in Kovilpatti.
Ministers leading as of now include S P Velumani, C Vijayabaskar and Udumalaipettai K Radhakrishnan. Ministers including D Jayakumar, K Pandiarajan, P Benjamin, K T Rajendthra Bhalaji, Vellamandi N Natarajan and C V Shanmugam were trailing.
