Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami exercised his voting right at a polling booth in Salem as Tamil Nadu went to the polls for all 39 parliamentary constituencies today in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections.
The DMK-led alliance is optimistic about replicating its 2019 performance in the state, while the BJP has intensified its campaign efforts after forming an alliance. The elections hold significant importance for the AIADMK, which exited the BJP-led NDA coalition in September last year.
Several key battles are underway in Tamil Nadu, with notable leaders contesting across various constituencies. In Coimbatore, the state BJP chief K Annamalai is facing off against DMK’s Ganapathy P Rajkumar and AIADMK’s Singai Ramachandran. The Coimbatore seat, currently held by CPI’s PR Natarajan, has been a focal point of political promises, including the establishment of prestigious institutions like the Indian Institute of Management.
Meanwhile, DMK’s Kanimozhi is locking horns with AIADMK’s R Sivasami Velumani in the Thoothukudi Lok Sabha seat. Kanimozhi secured a comfortable victory in the 2019 polls and is facing Tamilisai Soundararajan, former Telangana Governor, who is contesting from the Chennai South Lok Sabha seat.
Vidhya Rani, daughter of the late sandalwood smuggler Veerappan, is contesting from Krishnagiri on Naam Tamilar Katchi’s ticket against BJP’s C Narasimhan and Congress leader K Gopinath.
In Sivaganga, a three-cornered contest is unfolding between sitting Congress MP Karti Chidambaram, BJP’s Devanathan Yadav, and AIADMK’s A Xavierd.
In the 2019 elections, the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance clinched a landslide victory, securing 38 out of 39 seats in the state.
Other significant battles include the Ramanathapuram constituency, where former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, supported by the BJP, is contesting as an independent candidate against AIADMK’s Jayaperumal and K Navaskani from the Indian Union Muslim League, an ally of the DMK.
Similarly, the Virudhunagar constituency is witnessing a fierce competition between incumbent Congress MP B Manickam Tagore, actor-producer Radikaa Sarathkumar of the BJP, and V Vijayaprabhakaran of the DMDK.
As the polls progress, the INDIA bloc, comprising DMK and Congress, is hopeful of a successful outcome akin to the 2019 elections.
