Page 2 - Tamil Nadu Elections

Lok Sabha polls 2024: Tamil Nadu voter turnout at 69.46%, says EC

The EC has revised the voter turnout in Tamil Nadu for the Lok Sabha polls held on Friday to 69.46 per cent, from the earlier 72 per cent. State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Satyabrata Sahoo had on Friday said the state witnessed a turnout of 72.09 per cent. However, officials had then indicated there could be changes in the turnout figure. Asked about the difference in the figures, officials on Saturday said the earlier "figures were based on sample data from some polling stations," and that the accurate numbers were arrived upon past midnight. Of the 39 constituencies, Dharmapuri topped with an 81.48 per cent turnout while Chennai Central recorded the lowest at 53.91 per cent, according to latest EC data.

LS elections: Polling begins in 39 TN seats, voting delayed in some booths

Polling began at 7 AM on Friday in all the 39 Lok Sabha constituencies in Tamil Nadu for the 2024 general election, amid tight security arrangements. People arrived at the polling stations enthusiastically and waited for their turn to vote, with personnel of the state and central police forces standing guard. The fate of 950 candidates will be decided by about 6.23 crore voters who are set to exercise their franchise in nearly 68,000 polling stations. DMK's Dayanidhi Maran (Central Chennai), A Raja (Nilgiris) and Kanimozhi (Thoothukudi), BJP's K Annamalai (Coimbatore), L Murugan (Nilgiris) and Tamilisai Soundararajan (South Chennai), former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam (Ramanathapuram), Congress party's Karti Chidambaram (Sivaganga), AIADMK's J Jayavardhan (South Chennai) and AMMK chief TTV Dhinakaran (Theni) are among the prominent candidates. Polling also began in neighbouring Puducherry where the Congress and BJP are in a direct fight. Voting was delayed by an hour in some ..

BJP fires up campaign in Tamil Nadu as state prepares to vote for LS polls

Tamil Nadu is all set to vote on April 19 for the Lok Sabha polls, that was marked by fierce campaigns and acrimonious debates, and a never seen before kind of spirited fight put up by the BJP, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to gain a foothold in the Dravidian land in 2024 was a striking feature. Elections to 39 Lok Sabha seats in the state will be held on Friday and the fate of 950 candidates will be decided by about 6.23 crore voters who are set to exercise their franchise in nearly 68,000 polling stations. The election mood set in pretty early in the state, in January, with the commencement of repeated visits by Modi who combined development and honour for Tamil language and culture as his main election plank that also had the key element of denouncing DMK-Congress over alleged corruption and 'parivarvad' politics. The state witnessed intense campaigning for nearly a month starting from March. Coimbatore, the hub of western Tamil Nadu is the most keenly watched constituency

INDIA bloc will deliver sweet victory on June 4, says TN CM Stalin

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president M K Stalin on Saturday said the INDI alliance will deliver a sweet victory on June 4. Stalin who was pleasantly surprised over receiving Mysore Pak from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during the latter's visit to the state on Friday, expressed that he was touched by his brother's sweet gesture." The two leaders had addressed a poll rally in Coimbatore. Posting a video of Gandhi jumping over a road divider and rapidly walking towards a sweet shop in Coimbatore to purchase Mysore Pak for him, Stalin said in a post on the social media platform X quoting a couplet from Thirukkural on the possession of love: touched and overwhelmed by the 'sweet gesture' from my brother @RahulGandhi. On June 4th, #INDIA will surely deliver him a sweet victory! the DMK president said. In the video that went viral on social media, Rahul Gandhi could be seen jumping over a road divider, crossing the road and walking swiftly into a sweet shop. When asked what he w

Case booked against BJP TN prez Annamalai over alleged poll violation

A case has been booked against BJP state President and Coimbatore candidate K Annamalai and a few members of his party over an alleged poll campaign time violation, police said here on Friday. DMK workers and their allies, the Left parties, objected to BJP members campaigning beyond the Election Commission's stipulated time on Thursday night and this led to a quarrel between the two parties at Avarampalayam area, police said. Following a complaint lodged by a DMK member, Peelamedu police booked cases against four BJP functionaries under various sections of the IPC. Meanwhile, local DMK functionaries petitioned the district collector seeking action against the BJP candidate for allegedly campaigning beyond the deadline set by the Election Commission.

Annamalai Kuppuswamy: Will 'Singham' deliver a blockbuster for BJP in TN?

Annamalai quit the police service in September 2019 and joined the BJP in 2020. Despite losing the 2021 Assembly polls from Aravakurichi, he was elevated to the post of state party chief the same year

LS elections 2024: TN CM Stalin to launch campaign from Trichy on Friday

DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin will launch his party's campaign for the April 19 Lok Sabha polls, from this central district on Friday. Stalin, a key leader of the opposition INDIA bloc, will canvass votes for the party-led bloc's Tiruchirappalli candidate, MDMK leader Durai Vaiko and the DMK's Arun Nehru in nearby Perambalur, according to the tour schedule of the ruling party chief. The DMK leads the multi-party Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA), which had swept the 2019 elections. It had won 38 of the 39 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu then, besides the neighbouring Puducherry segment. Durai is the son of MDMK founder Vaiko and the Tiruchirappalli constituency has been allotted to the party by the DMK as part of the poll pact. Congress' Su Thirunavukkarasar represents the segment in the outgoing House. After launching his poll campaign from here, Stalin will embark on a state-wide tour, covering all 39 LS seats in the state, besides Puducherry, in the comin

After Madras HC's nod, PM Modi to hold roadshow in TN's Coimbatore today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a roadshow here on Monday, days after Madras High Court green-flagged the event, asking the police to allow it with reasonable conditions. The PM will take out the roadshow in the city's Mettupalayam Road and is likely to end it at RS Puram later today. This will be his first political engagement in the state after the announcement of the seven-phase schedule of the Lok Sabha polls. The district BJP unit had on Friday moved the HC against the local police denying permission to the PM event, citing, among others, the "communally sensitive" nature of the area, and the ongoing public exams. However, the court had dismissed the contentions and asked the police to allow the roadshow with "reasonable conditions", such as erecting no flex boards by the organisers. The BJP, with a newfound vigour under its aggressive state unit president K Annamalai, is making all efforts to make significant inroads into Tamil Nadu, the Dravidian heartland that has ..

PM has changed nation's outlook, policy towards women, says TN Governor

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has changed the nation's outlook and policy towards women from empty slogans of empowerment to women-led development and governance, Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi said on Friday. The PM thus fulfilled nationalist poet Subramania Bharati's dream on women's liberation, he said, while speaking on the occasion of International Women's Day at the Raj Bhavan here. I pay tributes to our mothers and sisters and we reaffirm our commitment to create an inclusive, equitable and secure environment for women, Ravi said. Paying floral tributes to Sangam-era Tamil saint-poetess Avvaiyar, he said that she was more appropriate as an example of women leadership. Prime Minister Narendra Modi changed the nation's outlook and policy towards women from empty slogans of women empowerment to women-led development, and women-led governance, the Governor told reporters. Major initiatives like Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao and building toilets in every school, college and every ...

Our family strives for every family in TN: Stalin takes jibe at PM Modi

'This is family rule, one that strives for every family in TN', says Stalin in response to PM's jibe

TN Assembly adopts resolution against 'One Nation, One Election' policy

The Tamil Nadu Assembly on Wednesday adopted a resolution against the Centre's proposed 'One Nation, One Election' policy. Chief Minister M K Stalin moved the resolution, besides another one urging the Centre not to go ahead with the proposed delimitation exercise to be taken up after 2026 based on the census. The 'One Nation, One Election' move was "against democracy, impractical; not enshrined in the Constitution of India," the resolution said and urged the Union government not to implement it. "Elections to local bodies, state Assemblies and Parliament are being held at different times on the basis of people centric issues in (a) vast and diverse country like India and it is against the idea of democratic decentralisation," the resolution added.

DMK forms war room in Tamil Nadu ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha elections

Earlier, in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections, an 11-member election manifesto preparation committee was constituted in January this year, under the leadership of DMK MP Kanimozhi

Leaders pay tributes to Ex-TN CM Annadurai on his death anniversary

Leaders and cadres from the Dravidian majors paid floral tributes to Tamil Nadu's iconic leader and former Chief Minister C N Annadurai on his 55th death anniversary on Saturday. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, who could not lead the peace march in Chennai on the occasion due to his overseas trip to Spain to woo the investors into the state, paid homage to Annadurai's portrait. Posting a picture of him paying tributes on the social media platform X, Stalin urged his party men to strive tirelessly to install a new government at the Centre. The DMK members led by the party's general secretary and state Water Resources Minister Duraimurugan led a rally from Anna Statue on Wallajah Road to the memorial at Anna Square. The party's MPs including Kanimozhi, MLAs and cadres participated. They paid floral tributes to a decorated portrait of their party founder. AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, accompanied by his party leaders and workers, too, paid homage to Annadurai

TN economy to be worth $2.6 trn by FY48, needs $111 bn investment: Study

State must focus on industries and urbanisation to meet potential, it says

BJP harps on need to overcome hurdles, usher in political change: Annamalai

The BJP faces a challenging time ahead and the party should gear up to oppose many people, its Tamil Nadu unit chief K Annamalai said and expressed his resolve to overcome all hurdles to usher in a 'political change.' As president of the party, he said he is prepared to take on individuals and he wanted the cadres to be prepared to take on those who oppose them and eventually win and ensure a regime change. In a veiled reference to the AIADMK, which walked out of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance on Monday, Annamalai addressing party workers during his 'En Mann, En Makkal' (My land, My people) padayatra at Pollachi late on Monday night, he said "we have seen the need for a political change. This is a challenging time. We need to oppose many." He said he is determined to overcome the challenges. "If I don't do certain things, then I will lose the trust you have placed on me...we need to face challenges, overcome hurdles, take a stance to oppose some individuals," he added. In

Will the strained AIADMK-BJP alliance in Tamil Nadu be back on track?

Annamalai's critique of Dravidian Icons spotlights BJP's quest for relevance in Tamil Nadu amid a strained AIADMK-BJP alliance: Can realpolitik offer a lifeline?

BJP national leadership likely to intervene in internal bickering of AIADMK

The national leadership of the BJP is in all likelihood intervening in the internal bickering of AIADMK which is a major ally of the saffron party in Tamil Nadu

AIADMK: Palaniswami appoints 2 former ministers as Deputy Gen Secretaries

AIADMK top leader K Palaniswami on Wednesday announced the appointment of two senior leaders as deputy general secretaries of the party. Announcing the appointments of various functionaries for the first time after being elected as AIADMK's interim general secretary, he urged the party workers to extend their cooperation to the new functionaries. In a party statement, he announced the appointment of senior leaders and former ministers K P Munusamy and Natham R Viswanathan as deputy general secretaries. Further, senior leader C Ponnaiyan will head a forum named after party founder, the late chief minister M G Ramachandran (MGR). Ex-minister and Coimbatore strongman S P Velumani is the Headquarters Secretary, a post previously held by Palaniswami. A number of other leaders, including former ministers Sellur K Raju, C Ve Shanmugam and R Kamaraj and former Speaker P Dhanapal were made Organisation Secretaries. Palaniswami was elected as the party's interim general secretary by the AIA

Kamal Haasan to contest Tamil Nadu Assembly polls after new movie's success

The veteran actor said that his Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) party has entered its fifth year and that he would not take a break from politics due to the success of the movie.

DMK sweeps TN urban body polls, wins AIADMK bastions like Edappadi

The DMK alliance won 494 seats in corporations, 2,021 in municipalities, and 4,619 seats in town panchayats