Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, who is contesting from the Ramanathapuram Lok Sabha constituency, exercised his voting right at a polling booth in Theni on Friday.
Following his vote, Panneerselvam expressed confidence in the BJP alliance’s victory in the Tamil Nadu Lok Sabha polls. “The BJP alliance will definitely win. There is a BJP wave across the country. AIADMK will come back to me,” he remarked.
Panneerselvam is running as an Independent candidate supported by the BJP-led NDA. Other prominent candidates for the Ramanathapuram seat include Jayaperumal from AIADMK, K Navaskani from the Indian Union Muslim League, and Chandraprabha from Naam Tamilar Katchi.
Voting is currently underway for all 39 seats in Tamil Nadu as part of the first phase of the general elections. The electoral process commenced at 7 am today across 102 parliamentary constituencies spanning 21 states and Union Territories.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking his third consecutive term, while the opposition bloc, INDIA, formed by a coalition of opposing parties, aims to challenge the BJP’s hold on power.
In the 2019 general elections, the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance secured a landslide victory in Tamil Nadu, winning 38 out of the 39 seats in the state.
The first phase of voting includes constituencies across Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhatisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Jammu and Kashmir, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry.
Subsequent phases of voting are scheduled for April 26, May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1, respectively.
According to Election Commission of India data, an estimated 8.4 crore male voters, 8.23 crore female voters, and 11,371 third-gender electors are eligible to vote in the first phase of the Lok Sabha polls.
