Current lockdown will be extended from May 24 early morning for a week…reports Asian Lite News
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K.Stalin on Saturday announced lockdown for a week starting from May 24 further tightening some of the relaxations to break the chain of coronavirus infection.
In a statement issued here after a meeting of law makers belonging to all parties, Stalin said the current lockdown will be extended from May 24 early morning for a week.
According to him the following services are exempted from the lockdown from May 24:
-Pharmacies — allopathy, traditional medicines and veterinary
-Milk/water/newspaper supplies
Swab test done by the Chennai Corporation as there is a gradual increase in the COVID positive cases in Tamilnadu
-Vegetables and fruits to be supplied by horticulture department through vehicles to people here and in districts
-Essential departments at the State Secretariat and District Headquarters
-Employees in private sector, banks, insurance companies are requested to work from home
-E-Commerce companies can function between 8 a.m to 6 p.m.
-Only takeaways from hotels/restaurants can function between 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. 12 noon to 3 p.m and 6 p.m to 9 p.m. Food delivery companies like Swiggy and Zomato can deliver only during the above period
New Delhi: Health workers collect swab samples for Covid-19 testing at a testing center in New Delhi on Friday, May 07, 2021. (Photo: Wasim Sarvar/ IANS)
-Fuel outlets will function
-ATM services will be allowed
-Trucks carrying agri produce, farm inputs and essential items will be allowed
-Inter district travel for medical reasons and death allowed with e-registration
-Intra district travel for medical reasons are allowed without e-registration
-Media allowed to function
-Continuous process industries and industries manufacturing essential commodities and medical equipments are allowed to operate
However the government is silent on the operation of grocery and provision shops during the lockdown.
At the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border in Coimbatore district, revenue and police officials at the Walayar checkpost have been joined by Health Department officials….reports Asian Lite News
With lockdowns announced in neighbouring Kerala and Karnataka too, vehicular movement in Tamil Nadu’s border areas has come down.
At the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border in Coimbatore district, revenue and police officials at the Walayar checkpost have been joined by Health Department officials.
Officials said that the vehicular traffic is very low as due to the lockdown in both states, an e-pass is mandatory for interstate travel. Goods vehicles with essential commodities as well as vehicles with medicines are allowed.
Talking to IANS, Tamil Nadu Police officer M.Ranganathan, on duty at Walayar, said: “We have allowed vehicles moving for essential services as well as medical emergencies. Also goods vehicles were given permission.”
In Valparai in Coimbatore, officials are allowing agriculture workers to cross the borders. Deputy Superintendent of Police, Vivekanandan told IANS that they allowed agriculture workers to go for work “as there is a regular movement of workers though this border town”.
Tamil Nadu’s borders with Puducherry were sealed in Villupuram, Cuddalore, and Kallakurichi.
At Cuddalore alone, 1500 police personnel are deployed to prevent the movement of inter-state vehicles and people. Police have also made several announcements asking people not to venture out of their homes.
At the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border at Kaliyakkavilai, police have tightened vigil as there is a possibility of people crossing the border as friends and relatives are living across. Also several people from Kerala come to Tamil Nadu to buy things, but with the lockdown in force, this is also curtailed.
Mini truck driver P.R. Balakrishnan said: “I regularly go to Tamil Nadu to buy goods as we get a large variety and the price is less compared to within Kerala. After TN declared a lockdown from Monday, I did not venture out and am now at my village in Kerala. Why travel unnecessarily?”
Tea shops to be closed at 12 noon. Ban on cultural/political/educational functions in indoor auditoriums and outdoors. Only 20 persons allowed at funerals. Not more than 50 persons allowed in weddings. Closure of barber shops, beauty parlours, spas, saloon….reports Asian Lite News.
A day after he and his council of Ministers were sworn in, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Saturday announced total lockdown in Tamil Nadu, from May 10-24 to prevent spread of coronavirus, while exempting essential services.
He also said with the impending two week lockdown from Monday onwards all shops and establishments are allowed to function from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
In a statement issued here Stalin said the two week lockdown is announced to intensify actions to prevent the spread of coronavirus and due to unavoidable reasons.
Stalin said the lockdown will kick in from 4 a.m. on May 8 to 4 a.m. on May 24.
According to Stalin liquor shops will also be closed.
The banned and permissible activities during the lockdown are:
-International flights are banned other than which are permitted by the Union Home Ministry. E-registion on https://eregister.tnega.org must for people coming to Tamil Nadu from other Indian states and overseas. Train and flight passengers will be allowed to move on production of tickets.
Only standalone shops selling groceries, vegetables, meat and fish will be allowed to function till 12 noon without air conditioning. Other than above shops, all other shops are to be closed. Dunzo like delivery organisations can deliver vegetabls/provisions/grocery/meat/fish only till 12 noon. Big format stores (over 3,000 sq.ft) and shopping malls are to be closed.
State owned liquor shops to be closed. Only takeaways permitted at hotels and restaurants and not dine-in. Hotels and lodges to serve food to their guests staying for commercial and medical purposes in their rooms. Otherwise hotels and lodges to remain closed.
Tea shops to be closed at 12 noon. Ban on cultural/political/educational functions in indoor auditoriums and outdoors. Only 20 persons allowed at funerals. Not more than 50 persons allowed in weddings. Closure of barber shops, beauty parlours, spas, saloon.
Closure of recreation clubs, movie theatres, liquor bars, auditoriums, meeting halls, amusement parks and other places where there will be large gatherings of people. Ban on retail sales of fruits and vegetables at Koyambedu Market in Chennai. Similarly ban on retail sales of fruits and vegetables in wholesale markets in other places in the state.
State government departments other than Secretariat, Fire Service, Police, Revenue, Disaster Management, Medical, Prisons, Electricity, Water Supply, Treasury, Local Bodies, Social Welfare, Womens Welfare- will remain closed. These restrictions are applicable for central government departments as well.
Other than exempted industries all others, information technology (IT) and information technology enabled services (ITES) units will remain closed. Work-from-home is permitted. Closure of places of worship for the public, but daily poojas permitted by the temple staff.
Complete lockdown
Ban on all tourists to Nilgris, Kodaikanal, Yercaud and other places. People are not allowed to go to the beach across the state. Parks, museums, archaeological sites closed to the public. Schools, Universities, Colleges and summer camps are banned. Sports training academies are to be closed.
Intra-district and inter-district government/private bus, taxi, autorickshaw service banned except for those travelling to attend weddings, job interviews and to hospitals with proper proof. No permission to operate for food and grocery/provisions/vegetable delivery companies like Zomato, Swiggy.
Essential services like the delivery of milk, newspaper, courier service, hospitals, medical diagnostic labs, ambulance and hearse services are allowed.
Vehicles carrying goods, oil, agricultural produce, oxygen trucks are allowed. Shops selling cattle feed, pesticides and fertilisers are allowed to function between 6 a.m and 12 noon. On the days during total lockdown (Sundays) hotels, restaurants can be open between 6-10 a.m., 12 noon to 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Food delivery companies like Swiggy and Zomato can function only during this period.
Amma canteens will function as usual. Pavement shops selling vegetables and flowers can function till 12 noon. Ration shops to function between 8 a.m. and 12 noon. On going construction activities will be permitted.
Organisations serving old/handicapped people can move around with identity proof. Media activities are permitted. Continuous process industries and industries manufacturing essential items are allowed to function.
Banking, postal services, data centres maintenance are allowed. Warehouse operations to load and unload goods allowed. Petrol, diesel vending outlets can function. Banks, insurance companies, ATM transport services are allowed with 50 per cent employees.
The MNM suffered a rout in the recently-concluded Tamil Nadu Assembly elections with Kamal Haasan himself losing the poll in Coimbatore (South)….reports Asian Lite News
The Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM), floated by actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan, was being converted into a fan club at the instance of the party’s campaign consultancy organisation and its founder’s advisor, Vice President R.Mahendran said on Thursday as he quit the party.
In his resignation letter from the party post and primary membership, Mahendran said from June 2020 onwards, the multi-faceted MNM was being converted into a fan club by Sankhya Solutions (political campaign consultants) and Kamal Haasan’s advisor and ex-TV media person Mahendran.
The MNM suffered a rout in the recently-concluded Tamil Nadu Assembly elections with Kamal Haasan himself losing the poll in Coimbatore (South).
Mahendran recalled the suggestion made to Kamal Haasan to contest in Chennai or in two seats – Coimbatore (South) and in Chennai, but he ignored it.
Do watch my in-depth interview with @IndiaAheadNews on what compelled me to quit MNM and why it's necessary for every voice to be heard in a political party. https://t.co/CcnTlZFcOM
According to him, there is a decline in Kamal Haasan’s tenacity of purpose “which is buried under a style of operation that reeks of non-democratic manner of running a political party”.
Mahendran said after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the party engaged political strategist Prashant Kishor’s IPAC but later Kamal Haasan had brought in Sankhya Solutions to manage the party’s assembly poll campaign.
Sankhya Solutions and Kamal Haasan’s advisor did not know or understand how to enhance “Brand Kamal”, he claimed.
Mahendran said Kamal Haasan’s failure and the party’s failure in the Assembly polls can be road mapped to the suggestions made by the poll consultants and the actor’s advisor.
According to Mahendan, many other office bearers of the party were of the same view but did not voice them fearing consequences.
Mahendran, in his resignation letter, also told Kamal Haasan that senior party officials were not consulted on electoral alliances and the decision to give away 100 seats to allies was a shocker, damaging the party’s image in the minds of people.
Bluntly telling Kamal Haasan that he can teach anyone in the party about honesty and integrity, Mahendran added that he is quitting the party with his head held high.
Meanwhile several office bearers of MNM submitted their resignations to Kamal Haasan so as to enable him to rejig the party.
A party spokesperson told IANS that except Mahendran, none of the other office bearers have exited the party and they have resigned their positions so that reorganisation can be carried out.
He added that Kamal Haasan will decide on the resignation of Mahendran.
Thiagarajan said the standard methods will not be able to bring back the state finances to comfortable levels and it needs some innovative measures….reports Asian Lite News
Innovative measures are needed to correct Tamil Nadu’s financial position, said state’s Finance Minister Palanivel Thiagarajan.
Speaking to a television channel soon after being sworn in as the Finance Minister, Thiagarajan said the state government’s finance went bad during the past seven years.
Thiagarajan said the standard methods will not be able to bring back the state finances to comfortable levels and it needs some innovative measures.
The state’s debt is about Rs 5 trillion.
Hailing from a political family Thiagarajan did his schooling at the Lawrence School, Lovedale and graduated from National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli (formerly Regional Engineeringn College).
Thiagarajan later got a master’s degree in Operations Research and a doctorate. He had also finished MBA in Financial Management at MIT Sloan School of Management.
He had worked with Lehman Brothers and then with Standard Chartered Bank, Singapore.
Thiagarajan had earlier said the tax to gross state domestic product ratio had come down to less than 10 per cent.
Meanwhile, new Covid-19 containment restrictions enforced in Tamil Nadu by the state government have come into force from 4 a.m. on Thursday adding the new measures will continue till May 20.
இன்று ஆளுநர் மாளிகையில் நடந்த பதிவியேற்பு நிகழ்வில் தமிழக முதல்வராக @mkstalin அவர்கள் மற்றும் அமைச்சர்களுடன் இணைந்து நான் தமிழகத்தின் நிதி மற்றும் மனிதவள அமைச்சராக பொறுப்பேற்றுக் கொண்டேன்.#MKStalinCabinetpic.twitter.com/ObQVgd04F9
— Dr P Thiaga Rajan (PTR) (@ptrmadurai) May 7, 2021
With new enforcements in force, heavy rush that was earlier witnessed in the roads of Chennai, Madurai, Coimbatore, Trichy and other towns has come down.
Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary Rajeev Ranjan in an order said that all state government offices will function with 50 per cent staff strength for a fortnight, beginning Thursday.
The order said that the secretaries to governments, head of departments, district collectors, will have an attendance schedule of the workforce.
The employees must be in shifts of either on alternate days or once in three days as per the requirement of the workload.
Private offices will also have to function with a 50 per cent workforce.
Public transport, railways, metro rail, public and private buses will operate with only 50 per cent of their occupancy.
Grocery shops (standalone) will be permitted to operate till 12 p.m.
Grocery and vegetable shops in shopping complexes are not allowed to operate.
All other shops other than grocery and vegetable shops will be closed. Shopping malls and other big shops have not been allowed to operate in the state since April 26.
State government and public sector outlets will be allowed to function till 12 p.m.
Restaurants will not be allowed to take sit-in customers while takeaways will be permitted from 6-10 a.m., 12-3 p.m., and from 6-9 p.m.
Cinema halls will remain shut and all social, political and cultural gatherings are prohibited in open or closed spaces.
After a gap of 10 years, the DMK with Stalin at the helm comes back to power for a sixth time in its history by winning the 2021 Assembly elections securing a comfortable majority on its own, reports Asian Lite News
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) President Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu by Governor Banwarilal Purohit at Raj Bhawan on Friday.
After a gap of 10 years, the DMK with Stalin at the helm comes back to power for a sixth time in its history by winning the 2021 Assembly elections securing a comfortable majority on its own.
The 68-year-old Stalin wearing white shirt and dhoti came to Raj Bhavan at about 9 a.m. Purohit administered Stalin the Oath of Office and Secrecy.
The Governor also administered the oath to 33 other lawmakers as the Ministers.
MK Stalin takes oath as Tamil Nadu CM (photo: Pallav Paliwal)
On Thursday, Purohit released the list of lawmakers who will be appointed as ministers and their portfolios.
Stalin’s Cabinet has two women Ministers. Stalin’s wife Durga, son Udhayanidhi and other family members, former Deputy Chief Minister and AIADMK Coordinator O.Panneerselvam, leaders of Congress and other parties attended the swearing in ceremony.
AIADMK top leader O Panneerselvam, leaders from alliance parties including Congress’s P Chidambaram, MDMK chief Vaiko and top state officials took part in the ceremony.
DMK had fought the elections with its allies and got an absolute majority on its own by bagging 133 seats in the 234-member assembly.
Stalin will hold several portfolios including Home, General Administration, Special Initiatives, Special Programme Implementation and Welfare of Differently -Abled Persons.
MK Stalin takes oath as Tamil Nadu CM (,Kamal Haasann was present at ceremony (photo: Pallav Paliwal)
Udhayanidhi doesn’t make it to Stalin cabinet
Stalin did not include his son Udhayanidhi Stalin in the cabinet. Udhayanidhi, a film star-turned-politician had won with a margin of 60,000 votes from Chepauk seat and was tipped to be in the cabinet — speculations of him being the Deputy Chief Minister have been doing rounds.
There are 15 new faces in the cabinet — the first timers. It is learnt that the Chief Minister will not be moving for a major bureaucratic reshuffle immediately.
MK Stalin takes oath as Tamil Nadu CM (photo: Pallav Paliwal)
Stalin gets emotional before Karunanidhi’s photo
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K.Stalin turned emotional on Friday while paying his respects before his late father and former Chief Minister M.Karunanidhi’s portrait at the latter’s residence in Gopalapuram on Friday.
Stalin drove to Karunanidhi’s residence at Gopalapuram from Raj Bhavan after taking oath of office and secrecy as Chief Minister.
Paying his floral tributes to Karunanidhi’s photograph, Stalin with a small hand gesture conveyed that his father was not there to see him become the Chief Minister of the state.
Stalin’s sister Selvi quickly consoled him.
MK Stalin (photo: Pallav Paliwal)
Earlier on entering Karunanidhi’s residence where his mother resides now, some party cadres burst crackers as a mark of celebration to which Stalin immediately showed his displeasure.
Stalin came to Karunanidhi’s residence to seek his mother’s blessings.
At Raj Bhavan, Stalin’s wife Durga turned emotional on hearing her husband saying `”I Muthuvel Karunanidhi”, while being administered Oath of Office and Oath of Secrecy.
War room to flight Covid
Earlier, MK Stalin said Tamil Nadu is facing a medical emergency. The announcement from the DMK president comes in the backdrop of several rounds of meetings with health experts and other officials over the past three days.
In a statement on Wednesday, Stalin said he has instructed the chief secretary to set up a ‘war room’ which will act as a central unit to monitor the medical oxygen stocks and vaccine, the requirement of beds, etc. He said the contribution of frontline workers during the pandemic is a great service to the people.
” The pandemic scenario has now changed into a ‘medical emergency’ and I appeal to private hospitals to fully commit themselves to save people who fear for their lives,” the DMK chief said in a statement. As part of Covid-19 containment measures, he asked the hospitals, which are now allotting 50 per cent of the total beds to Covid-19 patients, to provide additional beds. He urged them to also provide consession in billing to the maximum possible extent for services availed by coronavirus infected people. “This is a difficult period, but it is not something we cannot overcome,” he added.
With the successive poll victories in Lok Sabha and Assembly polls, Stalin has established himself as an undisputed leader…reports Asian Lite News
For the 68-year-old M.K. Stalin, affectionately called “Thalapathi” (Commander) by members of his DMK, the wait to lead Tamil Nadu as its head will soon get over.
The DMK, led by Stalin, a former Deputy Chief Minister, is all set to come to power after a 10-year hiatus, and has even gained a majority on its own.
With the successive poll victories – the first one was the 2019 Lok Sabha polls – and now the Assembly polls, Stalin has established himself as an undisputed leader within and outside the party.
Stalin has to wait for some more days for his coronation as Chief Minister.
His earlier coronation as the DMK’s second President in 2018 was a smooth affair.
DMK’s then General Secretary K. Anbazhagan then said 1,307 party officials had proposed and seconded Stalin’s candidature.
Stalin was given the role of Working President in January 2017 after his father and party patriarch M. Karunanidhi was largely confined to his home due to age-related ailments.
Born on March 1, 1953 to Karunanidhi and Dayalu Ammal, Stalin was named after the Russian leader Joseph Stalin who died on March 5, 1953 – four days after Stalin’s birth.
Legend has it that Karunanidhi wanted to name him ‘Ayyadurai’ – after DK founder ‘Periyar’ E.V. Ramasamy and DMK founder C.N. Annadurai.
Like his multi-faceted father who entered public life at the age of 14, Stalin too started his political journey by becoming an ordinary member of the DMK at the age of 14 and campaigning for the party in the 1967 polls.
A year earlier he had formed a youth forum: Gopalapuram Youth DMK.
Stalin came to public notice at large when he was jailed under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) for opposing the imposition of Emergency by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
He became the party’s Youth Wing Secretary in 1984 and continued to hold that post for a long time.
It was in 1984 that Stalin made his electoral debut from Thousand Lights constituency in Chennai but lost. He finally entered the Assembly in 1989.
The other electoral loss for him was in 1991 at the same seat.
Till date, Stalin has won six Assembly polls – four times from Thousand Lights and twice from Kolathur constituency. His seventh victory comes in 2021.
Stalin was the Local Administration Minister in the Karunanidhi government (2006-11) and became Deputy Chief Minister in 2009 and stayed in the post till 2011.
As the aged Karunanidhi was not able to move much, the mantle of being lead campaigner fell on him in 2016 Assembly polls.
The DMK won 89 seats and narrowly missed the victory to the AIADMK then led by J. Jayalalithaa.
Stalin became the Leader of the Opposition. But the party suffered a shock defeat losing the security deposit in the by-election from R.K. Nagar constituency in Chennai, a seat held by Jayalalithaa. The by-election was won by T.T.V. Dhinakaran, a rebel AIADMK leader who later floated the AMMK.
Before becoming a state minister, Stalin was the Chennai Mayor in 1996-2001 and 2001-02. He was also the party Treasurer.
During his Mayorship, the Chennai Corporation built several flyovers to ease the traffic flow. The AIADMK government headed by Jayalalithaa had, however, arrested Stalin for alleged corruption in building the flyovers. But it did not affect his career. Even Karunanidhi had once openly declared that if he had a chance then he would announce Stalin as his successor.
But Stalin’s elder brother and former Union Minister M.K. Alagiri – then incharge of the party affairs in the southern districts – opposed it and said he cannot think of anybody else as his leader other than Karunanidhi.
Later, Alagiri was dismissed from the party for anti-party activities.
Meanwhile, Stalin started taking strong hold of the party reins following the indisposition of Karunanidhi.
The Alagiri-Stalin rivalry plagued the DMK for a long time but Karunanidhi kept a fragile peace till his passing away.
Stalin is married to Durga, a believer, and the couple have two children – Udayanidhi and Senthamarai.
Udhayanidhi, an actor turned politician, also made successful electoral debut this time from the Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni Assembly constituency.
Stalin also had acted in two movies and in two television serials.
Succeeding Karunanidhi, an illustrious leader, Stalin did not try to show himself as a leader different from his father, and in all his election campaign speeches, always said he is the son of Karunanidhi.
Roping in political strategist Prashant Kishor to chart the party’s victory route, Stalin continued with the campaign of painting the Narendra Modi-led Central government as “anti-Tamil” and “anti-states”.
The party also successfully built a public perception that it would win the polls and the AIADMK government was subservient to the Central government.
Stalin also carried out hard bargaining for seats with allies and made many of them contest under the party’s Rising Sun electoral symbol.
On the other factors that worked for the DMK in the assembly elections, a political analyst told IANS, were the anti-incumbency against the AIADMK government, the anti-BJP sentiment, alliance arithmetic, the steady cultivation of the perception that it will win the polls over a long period of time, and caste neutrality.
He did not agree that the assembly poll victory was an extension of the DMK-led alliance’s victory in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
“That was a total rout for the AIADMK-led alliance. During the Lok Sabha elections, it was Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for the Prime Ministership that was on the centre stage,” the analyst said.
In 2019 there was an anti-Modi wave in Tamil Nadu. But in the 2021 Assembly elections, Stalin was at the centre stage but there was no wave in his favour to rout the AIADMK, the analyst said.
Be that as it may, with the 2021 Assembly election victory and heading the state government, Stalin has very many challenges facing him.
First and the foremost will be arresting the spread of coronavirus.
As an opposition leader, he had fired several salvos against Chief Minister K. Palaniswami. And now Stalin has to take control.
As he used to say, the state finances were in bad shape. And now it is his responsibility to set it right while fulfilling many of the populist poll promises that were made this time.
After years of maintaining an anti-BJP stance, Stalin has to navigate carefully the centre-state relations as a Chief Minister.
What is now certain is that Stalin may come out of his father’s shadows. And the long wait to become the Chief Minister will soon get over.
The exit poll predicts 16.6 per cent vote swing in favour of the NDA, while for the UPA it is -5.3 per cent, approximately, as compared to 2016..reports Asian Lite News
The All India NR Congress (AINRC)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was leading in nine of the 12 constituencies taken up in the first phase of counting in the Union territory of Puducherry, as per the early trends released by the Election Commission of India.
Twelve constituencies were taken up for counting in the first phase. Ten constituencies would be taken up in the second phase while eight in the third phase.
AINRC candidates were leading in six constituencies and its ally BJP in three. Congress was leading in one constituency and its ally DMK also was leading in one. An independent candidate was leading in Mahe constituency, Puducherry’s enclave in Kerala.
AINRC founder N Rangasamy was leading by 1,174 in Yanam while the party candidates – C Djeacounar was leading by 4,566 votes in Mangalam, S Ramesh was leading by 5,714 votes in Kadirgaman, Chandira Priyanga by 4,180 votes in Nedungadu, U Lakshmikandhan by 4,768 votes in Embalam and P R N Thirumurugan by 7,452 votes in Karaikal north.
According to the CVoter Exit Poll for Times Now/ABP News, the projected seat variation for the 30-member Puducherry Assembly for the NDA is 19 to 23 seats, well over the majority mark, while the UPA is likely to win 6 to 10 seats. Others are projected to win a maximum of 2 seats.
The exit poll predicts 16.6 per cent vote swing in favour of the NDA, while for the UPA it is -5.3 per cent, approximately, as compared to 2016.
According to the exit poll, the UPA will get 34.2 per cent votes, which is way behind the NDA which is projected to get 47.1 per cent votes.
The Congress, which was ruling the UT, was unseated after many of its MLAs defected to the BJP earlier this year, forcing incumbent Chief Minister V. Narayansamy to resign after his government was reduced to minority.
On the other hand, the AIADMK-led alliance is leading in 89 seats, as per Election Commission data…reports Asian Lite News.
As the counting of votes for the single-phase Tamil Nadu Assembly elections is underway with the DMK-led alliance in the lead in a majority of Tamil Nadu’s 234 Assembly constituencies, party cadres have started to assemble at the party headquarters here.
The party cadres are visibly happy as DMK is expected to maintain the lead and finally win the poll to capture power in the state after a gap of 10 years.
According to Election Commission data, the DMK is leading in 117 seats, while of its allies, Congress leads in 13 seats, the CPI, the CPI-M and the VCK in two seats each, taking the tally to 136 seats, as against the halfway mark of 118 seats.
On the other hand, the AIADMK-led alliance is leading in 89 seats, as per Election Commission data.
DMK President M.K. Stalin and his son Udhayanidhi Stalin are comfortably leading in their Kolathur and Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni seats, respectively.
The CVoter Exit Poll for Times Now/ABP News shows that the DMK-led alliance is projected to secure 160 to 172 seats in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly….reports Asian Lite News
A post-poll survey shows that the DMK-Congress alliance will return to power in Tamil Nadu with a clear majority.
The CVoter Exit Poll for Times Now/ABP News shows that the DMK-led alliance is projected to secure 160 to 172 seats in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly.
The ruling AIADMK-led alliance, of which BJP is also part, is expected to win 58 to 70 seats in Tamil Nadu.
In the 2016 Assembly elections, the AIADMK-led alliance had emerged victorious on 134 seats while the DMK–led coalition managed to corner 98 seats. Smaller parties remain irrelevant in Tamil Nadu politics.
The exit poll shows that a combination of 10-year anti-incumbency factor and the absence of a charismatic successor to J Jayalalithaa are expected to lead to an electoral setback for the ruling AIADMK-led coalition.
In the first polls held after the death of Tamil Nadu political stalwarts Jayalalithaa and M. Karunanidhi, the southern state will witness the return of the DMK-Congress alliance.
The exit poll data show that the DMK and its alliance partners will witness a jump of 7.9 per cent vote share, from 38.8 per cent in 2016 to 46.7 per cent in 2021.
The vote share of the AIADMK-led alliance will drop by 8.7 per cent, from 43.7 per cent in 2016 to 35 per cent in 2021. Other outfits will continue to remain marginal players in the state.
Region-wise, the exit poll data project that the DMK and its alliance partners are expected to win 32 to 34 seats in Chola Nadu, where the AIADMK-led alliance is likely to get 7-9 seats.
In the Greater Chennai region, while the DMK-led alliance is expected to secure 11 to 13 seats, the ruling AIADMK coalition is projected to win 3-5 seats.
In the Kongu Nadu region in the west, the DMK and its alliance partners are projected to win 33 to 35 seats, while the AIADMK and its coalition partners are likely to emerge victorious on 17 to 19 seats.
In the Pallava Nadu region in north, the DMK and its alliance partners are projected to get 36 to 38 seats, while the AIADMK and its allies are expected to secure 8-10 seats.
In the Pandiya Nadu region in south, the DMK-led coalition is expected to win 33 to 35 seats, while the AIADMK-led alliance is expected to win 21 to 23 seats.
In the Puducherry region, the DMK and its alliance partners are projected to win 15 to 17 seats, while the AIADMK-led coalition is expected to win 2-4 seats.
