Tamil Nadu elections: Assembly polls voter turnout shows anti-incumbency wave, claims AIADMK

Chennai: AIADMK National Spokesperson Kovai Sathyan on Thursday said that a historic 84.69 per cent voter turnout in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections was "not unprecedented", calling it a reflection of anti-incumbency sentiment against the ruling DMK.

"There was no violence in Tamil Nadu today. DMK couldn't flex their muscle during the time of elections. The same with TMC. There were some untoward incidents here and there, which was dealt with iron hands," Sathyan said to ANI.

Also read: Tamil Nadu voter turnout rises 9% over 2011 high, crosses 85% in assembly polls


He said the increased polling percentage indicated a larger anti-incumbency wave and credited the Election Commission for ensuring smooth polling.

"The rise in votes is not unprecedented. Last time it was 4.64 crore, this time it's about another 23 lakh more, which clearly signals that the anti-incumbency has really played its role in a larger way... Congratulations and kudos to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and team. This marks the end of those kinds of people who bank on bogus voters, indulge in violence, and booth capturing during elections, and those parties who take the law into their own hands," he said.

"The rise in votes is not unprecedented. The newcomer Vijay has raised the expectations, but he doesn't have the organisation's strength or muscle power to harvest those voters in his favour," he said.

Sathyan also said the voter turnout reflected public dissatisfaction with the ruling party.

"That's the reason for the larger turnout. The anti-incumbency is true, and that's what is reflected," he said.

He further claimed that even strongholds of AIADMK saw high turnout levels.

"Even the strong bastions of AIADMK have seen the percentages crossing 90 per cent. Our leader's constituency has touched 91 per cent. Strong bastions of AIADMK and where AIADMK and DMK are head-to-head have seen percentages rising above 85 per cent," he further emphasised.

Sathyan added that the pattern of voting indicated a political shift in the state.

"Clearly signals the end of DMK," he said.

As the polling for the Assembly elections concluded at 6 pm on Thursday, Tamil Nadu recorded 84.80 per cent turnout, according to the latest data by the Election Commission of India.

The high turnout figures underline an active electoral exercise as polling drew to a close amid tight security arrangements across constituencies.

Tamil Nadu recorded a strong turnout across key districts, with Karur leading at 92.48%, followed closely by Salem at 90.42%, Dharmapuri at 90.02%, Erode at 89.97% and Namakkal at 89.63%.

Polling for the 234 Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu was conducted today, with counting of votes set to take place on May 4.