Parties in TN already busy with calculations!

Chennai: POLITICAL parties of Tamil Nadu, especially the Dravidian majors are in calculation mode with permutations and combinations on the poll outcome.

Parties have started trying to decipher who will benefit from the 71 per cent voting that took place on April 6. While in 2011 and 2016, AIADMK-led front had benefited from the higher percentage, DMK leadership dismissed this and was of the opinion that the front would win a comfortable majority. While almost all national level opinion polls have predicted a landslide for the DMK front, political observers and election analysts prefer to be modest and vouch for a win for the DMK but not with a huge majority. DMK leader Duraimurugan while speaking to IANS said, "It will be DMK all the way and as a political worker who has been in the grassroots level across Tamil Nadu, I could easily find a wave in favour of the DMK. We will win with a huge majority and the results will surprise our opponents."

However political observers begged to differ. C. Rajeev of Centre for Policy and Development Studies, a Think tank based out of Chennai while speaking to IANS said, "It is a close neck and neck fight. While at the superficial level we could find a wave in favour of the DMK, I think it is confined to the urban centres, and rural Tamil Nadu seems to have preferred the AIADMK. The anti-incumbency factor is much less during the Edappadi K Palaniswami regime and this might have worked in favour of AIADMK at the grassroots in rural areas. Whoever wins it is a close contest." Of the 6.29 crore eligible voters of Tamil Nadu, 4.51 crore had cast their votes and this was a welcome sign as far as election amidst Covid is concerned.

This sizable voter turnout has given hopes to the AIADMK camp as low turnout means support for the cadre based DMK and the higher turnout can give a slight edge to the AIADMK. While the cadre based BJP is with the AIADMK in its alliance, the saffron party is not much a force to reckon with in Tamil Nadu and in several constituencies where the party contested, there were not even booth agents. Both the Dravidian majors had put up several temporary booths outside the election centres to assist the voters and here the BJP had lagged behind.

AIADMK Chennai city leader M Senthilanathan while speaking to IANS said, "AIADMK led front is winning this election leaving aside the anti-incumbency disadvantage. The government had done several good things for the people and it was effectively communicated to the grassroots level and this will definitely see the AIADMK front through and win with a comfortable majority. In urban areas it's a neck and neck race but in rural Tamil Nadu it is advantage AIADMK."

While it's a long waiting time to get the clear results on May 2, the parties are taking up reports from each booth and trying to work out the results.