Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], May 4 : As counting of votes for the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections begins, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) spokesperson TKS Elangovan on Monday expressed strong confidence in the party's prospects, asserting that the DMK will secure "around 130-140 seats" and form the government.
Speaking to ANI, Elangovan said, "DMK will form the government. We will get 40 per cent plus vote share. We will get an absolute majority. DMK alone will get around 130-140 seats. We will form the government..."
In Tamil Nadu, the political narrative appears relatively predictable. The ruling DMK-led alliance is widely expected to retain power, supported by strong voter turnout and favourable exit polls.
Heavy three-layer security was deployed early this morning to prepare for the vote count of the recently concluded Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
Dozens of security personnel were deployed at the gate of the college, with barricades in place as officials checked every vehicle coming in.
Loyola College is one of the counting centres that houses the EVMs for counting nearly 4.8 crore large votes polled. Queen Mary's College and Anna University are also some of the other counting centres set up for today.
Tamil Nadu is abuzz for the results of the April 23 polling, with parties across the state waiting for the results to decide whether the incumbent DMK gets another term or the AIADMK-led alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) manages to get dividends from anti-incumbency. While many exit polls have predicted a DMK win, certain surveys have also suggested a 'TVK shocker' might upset the balance in the assembly.
Tamil Nadu is one of the four states (Assam, West Bengal, and Keralam) and the union territory of Puducherry, which will have its results for polling, which took place on April 23, with Bengal having the second phase of polling on April 29.
The process is underway with the counting of postal ballots at 8:00 am, followed by EVM counting from 8:30 am. Round-wise results will be updated in real time on the ECINET platform and the official Election Commission portal.
Tamil Nadu and Puducherry Congress In-Charge Girish Chodankar expressed confidence that the DMK-led alliance would return to power in Tamil Nadu. "We are confident that our DMK alliance will form the government and create history in Tamil Nadu. We are very confident that we will come back to power," he said.