Heavy security deployment in Tamil Nadu for polling day

Tamil Nadu will witness the polling for the assembly elections on Tuesday amid tight security in the state. As many as 74,162 personnel from Tamil Nadu Local & Armed Reserve (AR) Police, 8,010 personnel from Tamil Nadu Special Police (TSP) and 23, 200 personnel from the CAPF have been deployed for the elections, according to the Tamil Nadu Police.

34,130 non-police personnel have also been deployed, including Home Guard, Forest Guard, Retired Police and ex-CAPF along with 6,350 police personnel and 12,411 Home Guard from other states.

Polling across 234 assembly constituencies in 38 districts of the state will begin at 7 am. A total of 3,998 candidates are in the poll fray. In view of COVID-19, the number of polling stations has been increased to 88,937.

Tamil Nadu is witnessing a fierce battle between arch-rivals All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). MK Stalin-led DMK, which is out of power since 2011 in the state, is in a head-to-head battle with the ruling AIADMK in nearly 130 constituencies.

AIADMK is contesting the poll in a pre-poll alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Paattali Makkal Katchi (PMK). PMK and BJP are contesting in 23 and 20 constituencies respectively in the 234-member Tamil Nadu assembly while the AIADMK has fielded its candidates for the rest of the seats.

While the DMK has allotted 25 seats to its Congress party, and six each for CPI, CPI (M), Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and Vaiko's Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK).

In the 2016 assembly elections, the AIADMK won 134 seats, the DMK bagged 80 seats and Congress managed to secure only 8 seats. The BJP drew a blank. In 2019, the DMK-led front had won 37 of the 39 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu in the general elections.

( With inputs from ANI )