High stakes today in Tamil Nadu, Kerala polls

Tamil Nadu will vote in an epic Assembly election on Monday. This is the first time the state will be witnessing six-cornered fierce contests with the Dravidian majors — AIADMK and DMK — being pitted against a formidable Third Front of six regional parties, evoking political interest across India.

An estimated 5.82 crore voters are eligible to exercise their franchise to seal the fate of 3,740 candidates in 233 constituencies across the state. Elections to Aravakurichi constituency in Karur district will be held on May 23 after the Election Commission postponed the polling citing huge flow of money.

Elaborate arrangements have been made at all 66,007 booths across the state and 1.72 lakh Electronic Voting Machines have reached the polling stations. Dr Radhakrishnan Nagar constituency, from where chief minister J. Jayalalithaa is seeking re-election, has the maximum number of 45 candidates in fray.

The election, which is being touted as the fiercest contest for decades in Tamil Nadu politics, has seen many firsts with a notable one being parties contesting the elections by projecting a chief ministerial candidate. Puducherry also goes to polls on Monday. The fate of Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy and arch rival V.S. Achutanandan will also be sealed. Besides the Congress’ Chandy and Achutanandan, the 92-year-old CPI-M veteran, and his party colleague Pinarayi Vijayan, home minister Ramesh Chennithala (Congress), IUML leader and industries minister P.K. Kunhalikutty, former finance minister K.M. Mani (Kerala Congress-M), BJP state president Kummanam Rajasekharan, former Union minister O. Rajagopal and cricketer Sreesanth are among the key candidates. Some Mollywood actors are also in the fray.

The BJP has thrown its hat in the pollarena in the state known for its bipolar polity after stitching up an alliance with the newly-floated Bharat Dharma Jana Sena.

The PMK was the first to anoint its youth leader Anbumani Ramadoss as the presumptive CM followed by the DMDK-PWA-TMC alliance, which has projected actor Vijayakanth for the top post.

Ms Jayalalithaa has shown her political guts by fielding candidates in all 234 constituencies, a bold move that even AIADMK founder M.G. Ramachandran never attempted. The DMK aligned with its old friend, the Congress, and an amalgamation of six political parties, entered the poll fray as one alliance projecting themselves as an alternative to the Dravidian parties which have ruled the state alternately since 1967.

Besides, the PMK is fighting the elections on its own and the BJP is facing the high-stakes poll in alliance with lesser know parties.

While the DMK and AIADMK are banking on their traditional party vote bank to emerge victorious in the Assembly elections, the DMDK-PWA-TMC alliance is pinning its hopes on first-time voters and youngsters who they claim want an end to the 50 years of rule of the Dravidian majors.

The PMK also claims it has the support of majority of the neutral voters and youngsters besides women. The major issue that drew the attention of the electorate this election is the promise to implement prohibition by almost all the political parties though the issue gained momentum in the past few months with the death of social activist Shashi Perumal.

Though most parties like the DMK and PWA announced that they would implement prohibition much before elections, the AIADMK was the last to announce that it would make Tamil Nadu liquor-free state, but in stages. INFOGRAPHICS: MAY 16 ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS: Total Electorate: 5 crore 82 lakh Total Candidates: 3,776 Women candidates: 320 Total booths: 66,007 Total EVMs to be used: 1.72 lakh Control rooms: 75,908 Maximum number of candidates in fray: 45 in R K Nagar KEY PLAYERS: J Jayalalithaa R K Nagar M Karunanidhi Thiruvarur M K Stalin Kolathur Anbumani Ramadoss Pennagaram Vijayakant Ulundurpet Thol Thirumavalavan Kattumannarkovil