Vijay to come to power in Tamil Nadu? TVK takes the lead; Trinamool trailing in Bengal; BJP in Assam, Puducherry

CHENNAI: As vote counting continues in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) is making a strong surge. The current trends suggest that the party could come to power in its very first election. The ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) is facing a major setback. Although it was leading when postal votes were counted, the DMK has now slipped to third place.

Chief Minister M K Stalin is currently trailing in the Kolathur constituency. TVK candidate V S Babu is leading there. The AIADMK is ahead in 21 seats. Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister and Stalin's son Udhayanidhi Stalin is also trailing. The AIADMK candidate is leading in the Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni constituency.

Counting began at 8 a.m. A total of 85.1% voter turnout was recorded in the polling held across 234 constituencies in the state. The general expectation had been that the DMK alliance would retain power. A total of 4,023 candidates contested in Tamil Nadu this time. In the voting held on April 23, around 57.3 million people cast their votes.

In West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress was leading after postal votes were counted. However, after the counting of EVM votes began, the contest between the Trinamool and the BJP became very close. In Mamata Banerjee’s Bhabanipur constituency, BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari is leading. In Assam, the BJP is ahead, while in Puducherry, the NRC alliance is leading.