A high voltage campaign in Tamil Nadu for the simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly polls scheduled for April 18 came to a halt on Tuesday, even as cash seizures in income tax raids led to a last-minute cancellation of polling in the Vellore parliamentary constituency.
The bipolar nature of TN politics has seen a shift after the emergence of TTV Dhinakaran’s Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK), following a rift in the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) after JJayalalithaa’s death in 2016. This is the first election that main opposition party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) chief MK Stalin will be fighting after his father M Karunanidhi’s death last August.
With polling to be held in 38 out of 39 Lok Sabha seats and 18 out of 22 assembly seats (the remaining four will vote on May 19), campaigning has been relentless. The AIADMK campaign has been led by chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and deputy CM O Panneerselvam. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited the state six times, Congress president Rahul Gandhi has toured the state twice.
The AIADMK-BJP alliance also includes smaller parties like Pattali Makkal Katchi, Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam , and Dalit party Puthiya Thamizagam. The DMK, in turn, is in alliance with the Congress, along with regional parties like Dalit party Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, Kongunadu Makkal Desiya Katchi, Left parties and Indian Union Muslim League.
{{/usCountry}}The AIADMK-BJP alliance also includes smaller parties like Pattali Makkal Katchi, Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam , and Dalit party Puthiya Thamizagam. The DMK, in turn, is in alliance with the Congress, along with regional parties like Dalit party Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, Kongunadu Makkal Desiya Katchi, Left parties and Indian Union Muslim League.
{{/usCountry}}Film star Kamal Haasan announced his plunge in politics with formation of Makkal Needhi Maiam, which has fielded candidates for both polls; Haasan himself, however, is not contesting.
In neighbouring Puducherry, a bypoll for the Thattanchavady assembly segment is being held along with the election to the lone Lok Sabha seat. “Some surprises might be in store. Whether there is space for national parties, in absence of two icons, Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaa, will be known now,” said Associate Professor C Lakshmanan, Madras Institute of Development Studies.