The key opposition party AIADMK is set to suffer a rout.
The ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu is set to achieve a clean sweep in the Lok Sabha polls, winning all 39 seats as of around 4:30 PM, even bettering its 2009 sweep tally. The same formidable alliance with the Congress, Left parties, VCK, MDMK, and others had won 38 seats in 2019. With the Congress winning the lone seat in Puducherry, the DMK alliance is set to score a perfect 40 out of 40.
Dayanidhi Maran, DMK's Central Chennai candidate and former Telecom Minister, who is set to become an MP for the fourth time, said, "The verdict is clear in Tamil Nadu. People have voted for Chief Minister M K Stalin's three-year service."
Besides the INDIA bloc's arithmetic advantage, the ruling DMK's populist schemes, including the Rs 1,000 monthly assistance and free bus rides for women, appear to have worked magic. The Dravidian party also addressed issues of federalism, financial discrimination towards southern states, and the misuse of the office of the Governor, taking on the BJP effectively. DMK ally and VCK Chief Thol Thirumavalavan, who leads in the Chidambaram constituency, said, "It's clear there is no Modi wave in the Hindi belt. The BJP has suffered a jolt in Uttar Pradesh. Even the Ram Temple issue hasn't helped them. The India Block could still be able to form the government. Let's wait till the end."
The key opposition party, AIADMK, which snapped its ties with the BJP, trails in all seats and is set to suffer a rout. In some areas, the party has come third or even fourth, paving the way for its former ally, the BJP get the second slot. This would be the third consecutive defeat for the party in elections after the passing of Jayalalithaa, following which the party witnessed an ugly power struggle between two former Chief Ministers, O Panneerselvam and Edappadi Palaniswami, ultimately resulting in the former's expulsion. Being the first election under the singular leadership of Edappadi Palaniswamy, the party had not fielded strong candidates as many veterans were unwilling to contest this time.
Despite a dozen visits by Prime Minister Modi, the hype over the party's state president, former IPS Officer K Annamalai, and the party's symbolism through the installation of the 'Sengol' in the new Parliament and glorification of the Tamil language and culture, the BJP, which fought alone in the state, is set for a washout. The party had joined hands with PMK, which is strong in northern Tamil Nadu.
Tamilisai Soundararajan who resigned as Governor and joined the BJP to enter electoral politics said, "I don't regret my decision. I want to be with people and my work will only intensify". On the BJP's debacle in Tamil Nadu, she added, "Many factors including alliance determine victory."
While BJP's star candidates Union Minister L Murugan, state BJP Chief Annamalai, Governor turned politician Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan, and Raadika Sarathkumar trail, the party has come second in these seats, including Coimbatore, Tirunelveli, and Kanniyakumari. It is not clear if the BJP has increased its vote share in the state, where earlier it had a negligible 3 per cent vote share.
There were times when PMK's Dharmapuri candidate Soumya Anbumani, AIADMK's DMDK's Vijaya Prabaharan, and BJP's Tirunelveli candidate Nainar Nagendran were leading, but ultimately the India Bloc caught up.