The verdict for Tamil Nadu’s Lok Sabha polls, held on April 19 in a single phase to elect 39 members to the Parliament, is currently underway with the counting of votes. The state witnesses a fierce competition primarily between the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
In the previous Lok Sabha elections of 2019, DMK secured 24 seats, while Congress got 8, and various other parties claimed the rest. BJP, eyeing a shift in voter sentiment, aimed to establish itself as a viable alternative to the dominant DMK and AIADMK.
A total of 950 candidates are contesting across the 39 constituencies in Tamil Nadu. Key constituencies to watch out for include Coimbatore, where BJP’s K Annamalai faces off against AIADMK and DMK candidates. Thoothukudi sees DMK’s Kanimozhi, the incumbent MP, contesting against rivals. Chennai Central witnesses a battle between BJP’s Vinoj P Selvam and DMK’s Dayanidhi Maran. The Nilgiris constituency is a triangular contest between DMK’s A Raja, AIADMK’s Logesh Tamil Selvan, and BJP’s L Murugan.
Exit polls suggest that the ruling DMK-led INDIA bloc could secure 33–37 seats, while the NDA may clinch 2–4 seats, and the AIADMK may secure 0–2 seats. These predictions hint at a potentially significant shift in Tamil Nadu’s political landscape.
