Counting of votes polled in Tamil Nadu assembly elections begins

Counting of votes polled in all 234 assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu during the April 6 elections began at 8 am on Sunday. The process began at all 75 counting centres across the state under tight vigil by security personnel, amid a raging second wave of coronavirus sweeping the state like other parts of the country.

As many as 72.78 per cent of the total 6.30 crore electorate had exercised their franchise in the crucial elections whose results are being keenly awaited not just in Tamil Nadu but across the country. The voting time was increased by an hour this year with people being allowed to vote between 7 am to 7 pm, including Covid-19 patients.

Follow live updates on the Tamil Nadu Assembly Election results here

To avoid overcrowding, the Election Commission increased the number of counting centres in the state -- counting is underway at 75 centres, mostly colleges. After a stricture from the Madras High Court, the EC imposed stringent rules on candidates and their agents to be followed during the counting process. Only agents who have a negative RT-PCR report or those who have taken two doses of Covid-19 vaccine are being allowed inside the centres.

The EC had also changed officers in-charge of counting in many places after the concerned tested positive for the novel coronavirus or fell ill. Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Satyabrata Sahoo has said the counting process will be held in a “free and fair” manner and has indicated that the results may get delayed due to increase in the number of rounds.

Counting of postal ballots will be taken up first, following which EVMs will be opened, Sahoo added.

The assembly election is the most crucial in recent times as it would not just decide the next chief minister of the state but also next generation leaders of the two Dravidian majors -- DMK and AIADMK. While DMK is led by party patriarch M Karunanidhi’s son, M K Stalin, AIADMK is helmed by Edappadi K Palaniswami, who was handpicked by late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa’s long-time friend V K Sasikala in February 2017.

The two leaders criss-crossed the state for about four months, trying to emerge out of the shadows of their respective predecessors. The DMK alliance consists of Congress, MDMK, Left parties, VCK and a few other parties, the AIADMK alliance has PMK, and BJP. Actor Kamal Haasan’s Makkal Needhi Maiam, and AIADMK rebel T T V Dhinakaran are also leading alliances this elections, apart from Tamil nationalist party Naam Tamilar Katchi led by Seeman.

For both Stalin and EPS, this election is an acid test. Stalin has to prove his leadership skills by bringing the party back to power after a decade, while for Palaniswami and AIADMK, this election is more a matter of survival than anything. Kamal Haasan has projected himself as an alternative to the Dravidian parties and is expected to increase his vote share this time, much like Seeman whose popularity has increased in the hinterland.