Chennai: Actor-turned-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) took a strong lead in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, emerging as the single-largest party in early counting trends.
As per the Election Commission of India (ECI) trends at 12:30 pm, TVK was leading in 104 of the 234 seats, putting it ahead of rivals. The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) was ahead in 61 seats, while the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) trailed with leads in 47 constituencies. Other parties, including the Indian National Congress (INC), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), were leading in a handful of seats.
Celebrations erupted outside TVK’s headquarters in Chennai, where supporters gathered in large numbers, waving party flags, distributing sweets, and dancing to campaign songs as the party maintained its lead.
Stalin was trailing in Kolathur after multiple rounds of counting. TVK candidate VS Babu had taken the lead with over 24,000 votes, while Stalin followed with around 21,000 votes, marking a significant shift in what has long been considered a DMK bastion.
TVK’s strong performance was visible across key constituencies, particularly in Chennai, where it led in areas such as Egmore, Anna Nagar, Villivakkam, and Thousand Lights, signaling growing urban support.
Vijay himself was ahead in both Perambur and Tiruchirappalli East constituencies, reinforcing his party’s impressive electoral debut. His main rival in Tiruchy East, DMK’s Inigo Irudayaraj, was trailing in early rounds.
Polling for the Assembly elections was held on April 23 across 234 constituencies, with a voter turnout of 85.1 per cent. As per ECI, a total of 4,023 candidates are in the fray.
(DD News)
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