40 per cent voter turn out in Tamil Nadu till noon

Tamil Nadu, where 39 Lok Sabha constituencies are facing single phase voting, today witnessed a turn out of about 40 per cent of the 5.50 crore electorate till noon.

According to Electoral authorities, brisk polling was witnessed in various constituencies with Dharmapuri recording 42 per cent followed by Karur 39.6, Thanjavur 39.5 and Dindigul 39.8 per cent.

Voters including youngsters thronged the polling booths in good numbers in majority of the constituencies to decide the poll fate of 845 aspirants who included DMK's A Raja, Dayanidhi Maran, T R Baalu and Congress's Karti Chidambaram son of Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Manishankar Aiyar, besides MDMK leader Vaiko and PMK leader Anmbumani Ramadoss.

Though the poll scene present a multi-corner battle, the actual contest is between ruling AIADMK led by Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and M Karunanidhi headed DMK, besides the six-party BJP led NDA alliance, which is trying to throw up challenge to the two dravidian outfits.

Jayalalithaa, DMK chief M Karunanidhi, his sons-- M K Stalin, M K Alagiri, DMDK founder Vijayakant, Tamil actors Vijay and Ajith Kumar were among the star voters who had cast their votes besides super star Rajanikant and Kamal Hassan.

No untoward incident has been reported so far in the state.

In the neighbouring Union Territory of Puducherry about 36 per cent of the 8.85 lakh voters exercised their franchise till noon, where Minister of State in PMO V Narayanaswamy of Congress is locked in multi-corner poll battle.

Voting is progressing in Alandur Assembly constituency which is facing bypoll to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation by 'Panruti' Ramachandran.