Electoral fate of 824 candidates in TN to be decided tomorrow

Around 4.13 crore voters are eligible to cast their franchise in the single phase elections in Tamil Nadu with stakes high for DMK-Congress combine and AIADMK-led front.

The lone Puducherry Lok Sabha seat in neighbouring Union Territory also goes to polls tomorrow.

Chidambaram is seeking election from Sivaganga for a seventh term while Azhagiri takes his maiden electoral plunge from Madurai constituency. Pro-LTTE leader Vaiko is testing his fortunes from newly formed Virudhunagar constituency.

Former Union IT Minister Dayanidhi Maran (Central Chennai), Union Minister T R Baalu (Sriperumbudur), former Minister of State for Railways R Velu (Arakonam), state BJP President L Ganesan (South Chennai) and TNCC President K V Thangkabalu (Salem) also face the electorate in the polls.

With UPA and VCK aligning with the DMK and the two Left parties besides PMK and MDMK fighting from the AIADMK camp, DMDK is the lone party going it all alone. Left out by both the major Dravidian parties, the BJP is heading a four-party alliance comprising smaller outfits.

The emotive Sri Lankan Tamils issue dominated the campaigning as arch rivals DMK President Karunanidhi and AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa upped the ante vowing to work for Eelam, a separate home land for Sri Lankan Tamils.

A total of 2.07 crore men and 2.06 crore women will excise their franchise in about 51,000 polling booths across the state, around 5,000 of which have been identified as "sensitive" with enhanced security clamped.

Maran, who has mended fences with his granduncle Karunanidhi after falling out of his favour in 2007, is seeking a second term from Central Chennai.

After having represented Sivakasi twice, Vaiko is now contesting from the Virudhunagar constituency, facing Congress' Manik Tagore and DMDK's entrepreneur-politician K Pandiarajan.

In Chennai, three constituencies will go to polls. CPI's North Chennai candidate and state secretary D Pandian was in the eye of a storm after his opponent and DMK's TKS Elangovan. accused him of supressing asset details.

Nearly one lakh securitymen, including central para-military forces, will be posted for election duty, with around 15,500 personnel scheduled to maintain vigil in the state capital.

As many as 1.10 lakh Electronic Voting Machines will be used for polling.