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Fight to the finish
More than 5.79 crore voters will seal the fate of 3,740 aspirants including arch rivals Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and DMK President M Karunanidhi, as the stage is set for polling in 233 assembly seats in Tamil Nadu under tight vigil on Monday.
Chennai
Besides AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa and Karunanidhi, the electoral field has two other chief ministerial candidates – actor-turned politician Vijayakant of DMDK-PWF-TMC combine and PMK’s Anbumani Ramadoss.
Of the total 234 constituencies, polling will be held in 233 seats as the Election Commission deferred the process in Aravakurichi segment in Karur district to May 23 due to “unlawful” activities of candidates and political parties in “bribing” voters.
Women accounting for a little over 2.92 crore outnumber men in the elections which would have nearly two million first time voters and 4705 transgenders.
A total of 3,740 candidates, including 319 women and two transgenders were in the fray with the Election Commission having made elaborate arrangements to ensure a free and fair poll in all the 32 districts of the State.
Incidentally, election authorities have seized more than Rs 100 crore unaccounted cash in the state, the largest among the five states where elections are held since last month. More than a lakh police and paramilitary personnel would man over 65,000 polling booths across the state, which is witnessing a multi-cornered contest also featuring BJP, seeking to make a mark along with a few minor allies.
Jayalalithaa, seeking a record second successive term in office, and Karunanidhi, eyeing to lead DMK to power after back-to-back drubbings in the 2011 assembly and 2014 Lok Sabha elections, are contesting from R K Nagar in the city and Tiruvarur respectively.
RK Nagar has the maximum number of candidates at 45, with DMK (Shimla Muthuchozhan) and VCK (Vasanthi Devi) also fielding women nominees to take on Jayalalithaa.
BJP’s MN Raja is also in the fray. BJP’s candidates include its National Secretary H Raja and state President Tamilisai Soundararajan. In their hectic campaign, Jayalalithaa sought a renewed mandate based on her government’s performance while Karunanidhi waxed eloquent on the theme of ‘change’ for his party to come to power after a five-year hiatus. AIADMK’s manifesto offered several features, including mobile phones and 100-unit free power to all, and promised to usher in a phased manner prohibition, an issue raised by other parties prominently during the electioneering.
DMK and others have assured to implement prohibition in one go if they are voted to power.
Poll Security
- State police deploys 77,000 personnel drawn from its own force, Home Guards and Ex-servicemen. EC provides 30,000 paramilitary men.
- Among 65,616 polling booths, 6,300 identified as sensitive where extra monitoring mechanisms are in place.
- Control rooms set up and police presence increased in many booths.
- For differently-abled persons, Braille material is readied. Wheelchairs can even be booked online.
- Control rooms in all districts to report violation in granting paid holiday to workers on May 16.
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