AIADMK leaders D Jayakumar and Edappadi K. Palaniswami cast their votes in the Tamil Nadu Assembly polls. Jayakumar slammed the ruling party over 'ganja culture' and 'family dynasty', calling the election crucial for the state's future.
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) candidate from Royapuram constituency, D Jayakumar, cast his vote at a polling station in Mylapore on Thursday during the Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections 2026. After exercising his franchise, Jayakumar said that voting was a key democratic responsibility and described the election as a crucial one for the state's future. "We exercised our democratic right today. This election is very important, giving an end to one family dynasty and 'ganja' culture. Law and order is the worst in Tamil Nadu," Jayakumar told reporters.
Meanwhile, in Salem, AIADMK General Secretary and Leader of Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS), who is contesting from Edappadi Assembly constituency, cast his vote at a polling station in Panchayat Union Primary School in Siluvampalayam. After voting, EPS appealed to the public to participate in large numbers. "I request all the voters to go to the polling booths and cast their votes for the ongoing elections. I'm 100% confident... In the ongoing elections, everyone should exercise their democratic right," EPS told ANI.
Polling Underway Amid Tight Security
Polling for the Assembly elections began in Tamil Nadu amid tight security on Thursday. The voting will conclude at 6:00 pm today. The counting of votes is scheduled for May 4.
Electorate at a Glance
Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Archana Patnaik said that the state's electorate comprises over 5.73 crore voters, featuring 2,93,04,905 female voters, 2,80,30,658 male voters, and 7,728 third-gender voters. The poll body is also catering to 14,59,039 first-time voters and 68,501 service voters, with 4,18,541 postal votes already received.
Furthermore, 62 counting centres have already been established to ensure a smooth process after the high-stakes voting concludes.
Key Contest Between DMK and AIADMK Alliances
The main contest is expected between the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance, which includes the Congress, DMDK and VCK, and the National Democratic Alliance led by AIADMK with BJP and PMK as allies. With the DMK banking on its Dravidian 2.0 model, the AIADMK-led NDA is fighting for a comeback.
Vijay's TVK Could Make It a Three-Way Fight
Actor-turned-politician Vijay is also set to make his electoral debut with his party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), which could turn the contest into a three-way fight. (ANI)
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