India
Tamil Nadu Election Results 2021 Live Updates: DMK Crosses Halfway Mark, Leading In Over 120 Seats
Tamil Nadu election results: There were nearly 4,000 candidates contesting the polls (File)
New Delhi:
MK Stalin-led DMK has crossed the halfway-mark in Tamil Nadu, taking the lead in over 120 seats, as counting of votes for the assembly elections 2021 began today along with four states that went to polls this year. The counting begins as a raging coronavirus pandemic infects lakhs daily giving rise to fears that the process may lead to rise in cases further. Elections 2021 were held in the 234 assembly constituencies of Tamil Nadu in a single phase on April 6. The ruling AIADMK contested 191 seats, with 23 given to the PMK and only 20 for the BJP. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) contested 188 and its ally, the Congress, 25, with the rest going to minor allies.
Actor-politician Kamal Haasan’s Makkal Needhi Maiam contested 142 seats, with 85 divided between a handful of allies and the AMMK of TTV Dhinakaran, who is the nephew of expelled AIADMK chief Sasikala. The AMMK contested 165 and left 60 to the DMDK, with the rest going to smaller allies.
Nearly 4,000 candidates contested the polls including Chief Minister E Palaniswami, Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, DMK President MK Stalin, his son and party youth wing secretary Udhayanidhi Stalin, AIADMK’s key rival TTV Dhinakaran and Kamal Haasan.
In the 2016 election, the AIADMK won 134 seats, the DMK got 89, and the Congress eight. Though this was AIADMK’s second straight victory, the party lost its chief J Jayalalithaa months after she occupied the chair for the fifth time.
The opposition DMK, which last ruled between 2006 and 2011, now sees a chance to replace the AIADMK in the state where the two parties have ruled every five years in the recent decades.
In Tamil Nadu, there are 75 counting centres spread across the state and all arrangements are in place to smoothly conduct the exercise, authorities said.
Results of Kerala, Puducherry, Assam and Bengal assembly elections will also be declared today.
Here are the Live Updates for results of the Tamil Nadu assembly elections 2021:
Top AIADMK leaders, Chief Minister K Palaniswami was comforably leading in his home segment of Edappadi in Salem district, while Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam is
trailing his main rival, DMK’s Thanga Tamilselvan, a former party colleague, by a thin margin.
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 continued to be ahead in Chepauk-Triplicane segment.
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 Mr Haasan and Mr Jayakumar kept swinging as votes were taken up for counting from various areas and currently, Mr Haasan is leading.
DMK’s key leaders M R K Panneerselvam (Kurinjipadi) and Duraimurugan (Katpadi) were trailing, while AIADM”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 are S P Velumani, Sellur Raju, M C Sampath, M R Vijayabaskar, 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.
(PTI)
MK Stalin had said that the victory will be celebrated from home due to the Covid situation in the country, and we will perhaps hold a oath taking ceremony keeping that in mind. The final decision will be taken by MK Stain after the final result be be declared. We should be able to form the government within a week or so, since there is a formal procedure which is followed. First all the MLAs will get their winning certificates, then the incumbents will resign, then the Governor will call the largest party to form the government, and after that we will do the needful.
Who will be Deputy Chief Minister or hold other ministries in the cabinet is something that the party high command will decide. I cannot discuss cabinet decisions at the moment.
We are happy with the trends so far and are confident of a big win.”
Makkal Needhi Maiam chief Kamal Haasan leading from Coimbatore (South) constituency.
Congress leading in Kanyakumari.
Official trends for by-election to Parliamentary constituency |
Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party leading in Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh)
BJP leading in Belgaum (Karnataka)
Indian Union Muslim League leading in Malappuram (Kerala)
Congress leading in Kanyakumari (Tamil Nadu)– ANI (@ANI) May 2, 2021
BREAKING: DMK has crossed the halfway-mark in Tamil Nadu, taking the lead in 122 seats, as counting of votes for the assembly elections 2021 began today along with four states that went to polls this year. AIADMK is trailing in 95 seats.
#ElectionResultpic.twitter.com/JjTxqguLbc
– NDTV (@ndtv) May 2, 2021
Will Definitely “Retain Power” In Tamil Nadu: AIADMK Leader Apsara ReddyAll India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) leader Apsara Reddy says she is confident that her party will retain power in Tamil Nadu, as counting of votes for the assembly election began today. She said it was a very sensible decision for the AIADMK to align with the BJP for the elections.
DMK candidate from Chepauk assembly constituency, Udhayanidhi Stalin arrives at Queen Mary’s College in Chennai where counting of votes for Tamil Nadu Assembly Polls is underway.
DMK leading in 107 seats, AIADMK at 86.
Actor-turned-Politician Kamal Haasan arrives in Coimbatore. He is leading in Coimbatore South.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E Palaniswami is leading in Edappadi, while DMK Chief MK Stalin is trailing in Kolathur. Actor-turned-Politician Kamal Haasan leading in Coimbatore South.
#TamilNaduElections2021 | Tamil Nadu CM is leading in Edappadi, while DMK Chief MK Stalin is trailing in Kolathur. Actor-turned-Politician Kamal Haasan leading in Coimbatore South
LIVE: https://t.co/0CnuNeicvcpic.twitter.com/Wb0ADmemRO
– NDTV (@ndtv) May 2, 2021
Indications show that the DMK was ahead in constituencies including Kurinjipadi, Neyveli, Virudhachalam. BJP’s state unit chief L Murugan was ahead in Dharapuram and AIADMK leaders and state Ministers K C Veeramani and Benjamin were ahead in Jolarpet and Maduravoyal.
(PTI)
DMK takes the lead in 74 seats, AIADMK at 59, AMMK ahead in two seats, MNM in one.
DMK has the edge over AIADMK with 65 leads.
DMK is leading in 32 seats, AIADMK in 30, AMMK in 1 in Tamil Nadu at 9am.
Counting agents were allowed through specified pathways into counting halls after verifying if they have complied with norms like RT-PCR tests and two doses of COVID-19 vaccination.
Sunday being a complete lockdown in Tamil Nadu to help prevent the spread of coronavirus, the roads were deserted and over one lakh police personnel have been deployed as part of security measures for the vote counting day.
Early leads show DMK leading with 17 seats in Tamil Nadu, AIADMK at 11.
With exit polls predicting a landslide victory for the DMK which was in opposition for 10 years, the outcome is crucial for the ruling AIADMK as well, which dismissed the prediction and expressed confidence that it would retain power for the second time in a row.
The AIADMK captured power in 2011 from DMK and retained power in 2016.
MK Stalin-led DMK leading in Tamil Nadu, ahead in five seats.
Counting began at 8 am in 75 counting centres spread across Tamil Nadu with authorities taking up a count of postal ballots first, authorities said.
The votes recorded in EVMs would be taken up by 8.30 am and it is also set to be tallied as per rules with Voter-Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT).
(PTI)
There will be 2,364 counting halls as compared to 1,002 halls in 2016 in 822 assembly constituencies, (which includes the other states apart from Tamil Nadu) a more than 200 per cent increase, in view of the COVID guidelines, according to the Election Commission which had drawn flak from the courts over the conduct of polls during the pandemic.
At least 15 rounds of sanitisation will be carried out at each polling centre, besides social distancing and other precautions, including a ban on gatherings, will be strictly followed, officials said.
They said counting of votes will continue late into the night. As many as 1,100 counting observers will watch the process and candidates and agents will have to produce a negative COVID test report or double dose of vaccination certificate to get an entry.
Tamil Nadu election results: Kanyakumari Lok Sabha seat bypoll result today
Counting also begins for the Kanyakumari Lok Sabha seat, where by-election were held. Congress’s Vijay Vasanth and BJP’s Pon Radhakrishnan are the key candidates.
Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections: Counting of votes begins
Counting of votes for 234 assembly seats of Tamil Nadu begins.
All arrangements are in place for counting of votes in tune with COVID-19 guidelines for Assembly polls held on April 6 in Tamil Nadu as political parties await results anxiously.
The counting of postal ballots is set to begin at 8 am on Sunday after which the votes polled in the Electronic Voting Machines are expected to be taken up half an hour later.
Cumulatively, there would be 3,372 EVM tables and depending on the constituency and votes polled, counting of votes is expected to range anywhere from 13 to 43 rounds in each of the 234 segments. Authorities said the counting of votes would be in strict adherence to the EC guidelines to prevent the spread of coronavirus which includes RT-PCR testing for agents.
The counting of votes for Tamil Nadu Assembly polls to begin at 8 am today. Visuals from a counting centre in Chennai.
The counting of votes for #TamilNaduAssemblypolls to begin at 8 am today. Outside visuals from a counting centre in Chennai pic.twitter.com/irUwCYW5yY
– ANI (@ANI) May 2, 2021
Tamil Nadu Election Results: Will Kamal Haasan be able to make a mark?
Kamal Haasan and his Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) had a rather forgettable electoral debut in the 2019 general election – they failed to win a single seat. He had said he was more confident this time. “We were a nascent party for the Lok Sabha election… Now we are actual fighters for the cause,” Mr Haasan had told NDTV.
Tamil Nadu assembly polls results: First election in state since deaths of J Jayalalithaa, M Karunanidhi
This was the first state election since the deaths of J Jayalalithaa (who died in 2016) and M Karunanidhi (who died in 2018) – both were among Tamil Nadu’s most iconic political leaders, and their absence left a power vacuum many raced to fill.
The DMK is predicted to come to power in the state, according to NDTV’s poll of exit polls. DMK and allies are forecast to win at least 160 seats, while the ruling AIADMK along with its ally BJP are predicted to win 66. TTV Dhinakaran’s AMMK is likely to win 1 seat, according to a poll of exit polls.
(Warning: Exit polls often get it wrong)
