Chennai: The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-Congress coalition emerges victorious in Tamil Nadu's Lok Sabha Elections, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) faces a setback with zero seats secured in the state.
All 39 constituencies in Tamil Nadu cast their votes in a single phase on April 19, with a voter turnout of 72.09 percent.
Leading the tally, DMK is ahead on 21 seats, followed by Congress on nine seats, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi and the Communist Party of India on two seats each, and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) on two seats. Additionally, Pattali Makkal Katchi, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, and Indian Union Muslim League are leading on one seat each.
Key contests include BJP's state president K Annamalai trailing against DMK’s Ganapathy Rajkumar by 22,881 votes in Coimbatore, and BJP’s Tamilisai Soundararajan behind DMK’s Tamizachi Thangapandian by 36,346 votes in South Chennai.
In another notable race, DMK’s Kanimozhi Karunanidhi leads with 175,991 votes against All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s Sivasamy Velumani R.
Elsewhere, DMK’s Dayanidhi Maran is ahead by 63,631 votes against BJP’s Vinoj, and Congress’ Karti P Chidambaram leads with 63,368 votes against AIADMK leader Xavierdass A in Sivaganga.
Congress’ Manickam Tagore leads from Virudhunagar by 2,129 votes against Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam leader Vijayaprabhakaran V.
The outcome mirrors the 2019 Lok Sabha elections where the DMK-led alliance secured 38 out of 39 seats in Tamil Nadu.
Meanwhile, the BJP-led NDA surpasses the majority mark early on, defying exit poll predictions. Around 642 million voters participated in the mammoth seven-phase elections held over six weeks.
While the BJP eyes a third consecutive term in power, the opposition INDIA bloc aims to challenge its supremacy.
Exit polls project a victory for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, prompting varied reactions from political factions. The Congress and its allies dismiss the predictions, alleging bias in favor of the ruling party.
Even before the official tally, the BJP secures one seat in Surat Lok Sabha.
The nationwide elections unfolded across seven phases from April 19 to June 1, culminating in a closely watched battle for supremacy.
In the 2019 elections, the NDA clinched 353 seats, with the BJP alone securing 303, while the UPA managed 93 seats, including 52 by the Congress.
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