Early trends in the Tamil Nadu Assembly election results suggest difficulties for prominent BJP leaders as the competition intensifies between the ruling DMK and actor Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) across the State.
State BJP president Nainar Nagenthran is trailing in the Sattur Assembly constituency, contesting for the first time after moving from Tirunelveli, behind DMK candidate Kadarkarairaj A by 909 votes, indicating a tough electoral fight.
Union Minister L Murugan is also encountering obstacles in the Avanashi (SC) constituency, falling behind TVK candidate Kamali S by 2,080 votes, as per the latest counting data.
In Chennai’s Mylapore constituency, former Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan is lagging behind TVK’s Venkataramanan P by a significant margin of 9,296 votes, highlighting TVK’s strong performance in crucial urban areas.
The BJP, contesting 27 seats in alliance with the AIADMK, is experiencing varied fortunes. While BJP Mahila Morcha president Vanathi Srinivasan is trailing TVK’s V. Sampath Kumar by 839 votes, BJP candidates M.R. Gandhi, Bhojarajan M, and C. Nagesh Kumar are leading in Nagercoil, Udhagamandalam, and Thalli, respectively, according to Election Commission data.
Elsewhere, in Vilavancode, BJP candidate Vijayadharani S is behind Congress’ Praveen T.T. by 6,697 votes. In Salem North, Tourism Minister R. Rajendran is trailing by 5,508 votes after 10 rounds, with the TVK candidate establishing a comfortable lead.
The TVK’s momentum is evident in various constituencies. In Virudhunagar, TVK’s P. Selvam has widened the lead to 2,455 votes over DMDK’s V. Vijayaprabhakaran. In Krishnarayapuram, TVK candidate M. Sathya is in a close contest, leading by just five votes against AIADMK’s S. Dhivya.
On the other hand, AIADMK and its allies are showing strength in certain areas, with S. Rajendran leading in Ariyalur and PMK’s Vaithilingam ahead in Jayankondam. In Chennai’s T. Nagar constituency, TVK’s N. Anand has taken a significant lead, indicating the party’s growing urban influence. As the counting progresses, the trends suggest a significant shift in Tamil Nadu’s political scenario, with TVK emerging as a major disruptor to the traditional Dravidian dominance.
