Chennai/Thiruvanathapuram:
The fate of Jayalalithaa, Karunanidhi and in Kerala, Achuthanandan, has been decided today. It does not get bigger in south India. (Assembly polls: Full Coverage)
In Tamil Nadu, the question on every mind is whether AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa packs the punch to knock out bête noire and DMK Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, backed by the Congress. In neighbouring Kerala, the Congress has more at stake in direct contest with the Left and its 87-year-old outgoing Chief Minister Achuthanandan. Will Achuthanandan survive anti-incumbency sentiments and a no-holds-barred poll campaign attack from the highest echelons of the Congress? (States voting today | Maps)
The run-up to polling day saw a bitter war of words in both states. In an interview to NDTV, Karunanidhi said he pitied Jayalalithaa and she retorted, "Hard luck to Karunanidhi." There was more - Jayalalithaa accused the CM of planning to unleash violence in constituencies where AIADMK was a favourite. Karunanidhi in turn said fear of defeat had gripped Jayalalithaa's cadres and hence they would instigate violence. (Read: Jayalalithaa, Karunanidhi trade charges)
Then, Jayalalithaa said the Election Commission should to be vigilant and handle Karunanidhi's men with an iron hand. And Karunanidhi lashed out saying Jayalalithaa did not seem to have any concern for peaceful polls in Tamil Nadu. (Watch: Confident of win, Jayalalithaa casts vote)
Achuthanandan took on Rahul Gandhi in Kerala, calling him an 'Amul Baby,' after the Congress general secretary questioned having so old a CM. (Read: Rahul an 'Amul baby', says Achuthanandan)
Polling has ended for the 234 Assembly seats in Tamil Nadu - the state voted in a single-phase election today and saw a 75.21 per cent voter turnout. Both the AIADMK and the DMK have gone to the hustings with strong alliances. The Congress, PMK and the VCK are in the DMK-led alliance, while actor Vijayakanth's DMDK and the Left parties have joined hands with Jayalalithaa's AIADMK.
Both camps showered freebies on voters in the run-up to the elections and shall be hoping that those bear fruit. Karunanidhi does have to contend with the negative impact of the 2G scam, and both his sons, MK Alagiri and MK Stalin, have worked extra hard to negate that. As the two sons and rivals to his legacy cast their votes, the bitter, overt rivalry was in check. Father Karunanidhi was the Chief Ministerial candidate and their alliance would win by a big margin, both said. (DMK will win 200 of 234 seats, says Alagiri)
In Tamil Nadu, all polling stations were declared critical and over a lakh securitymen were deployed.
PTI adds:
Among those whose fortunes have been decided today - apart from Karunanidhi (Tiruvarur) and Jayalalithaa (Srirangam) - are M K Stalin (Kolathpur) and Vijayakanth (Rishivanyam).
The DMK is contesting 119 seats, leaving 63 to Congress, 30 to PMK, 10 to Viduthalai Chirutagal Katchi, seven to Kongu Munnetra Katchi, three to IUML and one each to Moovendar Munnetra Kazhagam and Perunthalaivar Katchi.
AIADMK has fielded candidates in 162 segments, allocating 41 seats to DMDK, 12 to CPI-M, 10 to CPI, three to Manithaneya Makkal Matchi, two to All India Samuthuva Makkal Katchi, one each to AIFB, All India Movendar Munnetra Kazhagam, RPI and Kongu Ilaginar Peravai.
The union territory of Puducherry also voted today to elect 30 members to the Assembly. 83.62 per cent voters turned up to cast their vote. The Congress-led combine, including DMK and PMK, is facing a tough challenge from the front led by former chief minister N Rangasamy's All India NR Congress, that has the AIADMK in its fold.
In Kerala -- which voted for all 140 Assembly segments, with the fight for power between the ruling CPI(M)-led LDF and the Congress-led UDF -- there were 971 candidates in the fray, many of them Independents. The state saw a 74.4 per cent voter turnout. These are the first polls in Kerala after NRIs got voting rights, but only 8,862 NRIs have registered as voters. An estimated 2.2 million Keralites are working abroad, mostly in Gulf countries.
In the highly politically polarised state, where marginal swings could turn the tide either way, the odds initially appeared stacked against the LDF, going by the political trends reflected in the 2009 Lok Sabha election and the civic polls, in which the UDF performed remarkably. But the LDF got a big boost after the end of uncertainty over the entry of Achuthanandan who now seems to have taken the fight to the UDF camp in his characteristic aggressive style.
Though there was bickering over the renomination of Achuthanandan in the run-up to the elections, the CPI-M high command intervened to settle the issue in favour of the octogenarian leader.
High-profile candidates include Achuthanandan (Malampuzha), UDF's chief ministerial probable Oommen Chandy (Puthupally), KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala (Harippad), CPI-M Politburo member Kodiyeri Balakrishnan (Thalassery), Muslim League leader P K Kunhalikutty (Vengara), Kerala Congress (M) supremo K M Mani (Pala) and senior BJP leader O Rajagopal (Nemom).
(With PTI Inputs)
In Tamil Nadu, the question on every mind is whether AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa packs the punch to knock out bête noire and DMK Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, backed by the Congress. In neighbouring Kerala, the Congress has more at stake in direct contest with the Left and its 87-year-old outgoing Chief Minister Achuthanandan. Will Achuthanandan survive anti-incumbency sentiments and a no-holds-barred poll campaign attack from the highest echelons of the Congress? (States voting today | Maps)
The run-up to polling day saw a bitter war of words in both states. In an interview to NDTV, Karunanidhi said he pitied Jayalalithaa and she retorted, "Hard luck to Karunanidhi." There was more - Jayalalithaa accused the CM of planning to unleash violence in constituencies where AIADMK was a favourite. Karunanidhi in turn said fear of defeat had gripped Jayalalithaa's cadres and hence they would instigate violence. (Read: Jayalalithaa, Karunanidhi trade charges)
Then, Jayalalithaa said the Election Commission should to be vigilant and handle Karunanidhi's men with an iron hand. And Karunanidhi lashed out saying Jayalalithaa did not seem to have any concern for peaceful polls in Tamil Nadu. (Watch: Confident of win, Jayalalithaa casts vote)
Achuthanandan took on Rahul Gandhi in Kerala, calling him an 'Amul Baby,' after the Congress general secretary questioned having so old a CM. (Read: Rahul an 'Amul baby', says Achuthanandan)
Polling has ended for the 234 Assembly seats in Tamil Nadu - the state voted in a single-phase election today and saw a 75.21 per cent voter turnout. Both the AIADMK and the DMK have gone to the hustings with strong alliances. The Congress, PMK and the VCK are in the DMK-led alliance, while actor Vijayakanth's DMDK and the Left parties have joined hands with Jayalalithaa's AIADMK.
Both camps showered freebies on voters in the run-up to the elections and shall be hoping that those bear fruit. Karunanidhi does have to contend with the negative impact of the 2G scam, and both his sons, MK Alagiri and MK Stalin, have worked extra hard to negate that. As the two sons and rivals to his legacy cast their votes, the bitter, overt rivalry was in check. Father Karunanidhi was the Chief Ministerial candidate and their alliance would win by a big margin, both said. (DMK will win 200 of 234 seats, says Alagiri)
In Tamil Nadu, all polling stations were declared critical and over a lakh securitymen were deployed.
PTI adds:
Among those whose fortunes have been decided today - apart from Karunanidhi (Tiruvarur) and Jayalalithaa (Srirangam) - are M K Stalin (Kolathpur) and Vijayakanth (Rishivanyam).
The DMK is contesting 119 seats, leaving 63 to Congress, 30 to PMK, 10 to Viduthalai Chirutagal Katchi, seven to Kongu Munnetra Katchi, three to IUML and one each to Moovendar Munnetra Kazhagam and Perunthalaivar Katchi.
AIADMK has fielded candidates in 162 segments, allocating 41 seats to DMDK, 12 to CPI-M, 10 to CPI, three to Manithaneya Makkal Matchi, two to All India Samuthuva Makkal Katchi, one each to AIFB, All India Movendar Munnetra Kazhagam, RPI and Kongu Ilaginar Peravai.
The union territory of Puducherry also voted today to elect 30 members to the Assembly. 83.62 per cent voters turned up to cast their vote. The Congress-led combine, including DMK and PMK, is facing a tough challenge from the front led by former chief minister N Rangasamy's All India NR Congress, that has the AIADMK in its fold.
In Kerala -- which voted for all 140 Assembly segments, with the fight for power between the ruling CPI(M)-led LDF and the Congress-led UDF -- there were 971 candidates in the fray, many of them Independents. The state saw a 74.4 per cent voter turnout. These are the first polls in Kerala after NRIs got voting rights, but only 8,862 NRIs have registered as voters. An estimated 2.2 million Keralites are working abroad, mostly in Gulf countries.
In the highly politically polarised state, where marginal swings could turn the tide either way, the odds initially appeared stacked against the LDF, going by the political trends reflected in the 2009 Lok Sabha election and the civic polls, in which the UDF performed remarkably. But the LDF got a big boost after the end of uncertainty over the entry of Achuthanandan who now seems to have taken the fight to the UDF camp in his characteristic aggressive style.
Though there was bickering over the renomination of Achuthanandan in the run-up to the elections, the CPI-M high command intervened to settle the issue in favour of the octogenarian leader.
High-profile candidates include Achuthanandan (Malampuzha), UDF's chief ministerial probable Oommen Chandy (Puthupally), KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala (Harippad), CPI-M Politburo member Kodiyeri Balakrishnan (Thalassery), Muslim League leader P K Kunhalikutty (Vengara), Kerala Congress (M) supremo K M Mani (Pala) and senior BJP leader O Rajagopal (Nemom).
(With PTI Inputs)
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