April 6, 2021 will see the people of Tamil Nadu vote along with the residents of Kerala and Puducherry. This will be the 16th Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu. AIADMK’s Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) and his Deputy CM O. Panneerselvam (OPS) seem to have a tough challenge on their hands with the media expecting the rival DMK to do well.
The DMK, on the other hand, has the immense pressure on its president M.K. Stalin to win and continue the legacy of his father, DMK stalwart M. Karunanidhi. The DMK has been out of power in Tamil Nadu for a decade.
When is the Tamil Nadu Assembly Election 2021?
Tamil Nadu will go to the polls on Tuesday, April 6, 2021.
Tamil Nadu Election 2021 voting timings
The voting timing for the TN Assembly polls is likely to begin at 8 AM and end at 6 PM.
Tamil Nadu election results in 2021: Date and counting of votes timing
The results of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election will be declared on May 2. The counting of votes will begin at around 8 am and the final results will be out by the evening.
How many constituencies are there in Tamil Nadu?
The state has a total 234 constituencies. The term of the previous legislative assembly is to lapse on May 24, 2021.
Which parties are popular in Tamil Nadu?
For almost 50 years, Tamil Nadu politics has seen no national party within sniffing distance of power. The national parties have been kept away by the two parties that are products of the Dravidian movement, the DMK, led by C.N. Annadurai, then Karunanidhi and now Stalin, and its offshoot the AIADMK, led by M.G. Ramachandran, J. Jayalalithaa and now EPS. The AIADMK won the last two elections in the state, 2011 and 2016, with Jayalalithaa leading the charge.
During the 2016 Assembly elections, the ruling AIADMK was re-elected with 136 seats and the DMK won 98 seats.
It is in this aspect that the 2021 election assumes significance for both parties as they have both lost their seminal leaders. Jayalalithaa died in 2016 and Karunanidhi in 2018.
The success or failure of either party in 2021 will point to the party’s existence in the future or their splitting into many factions that would automatically prove to be a blessing for the BJP, which has been making the noises but has failed in showing tangible results.
As such, the BJP is contesting 25 seats as part of the AIADMK-led alliance while the Congress is also contesting on 25 seats as part of the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance.
How many districts are there in Tamil Nadu?
Tamil Nadu has 38 districts of which 6 are newly formed. Chengalpattu on November 29, 2019, Ranipet on November 28, 2019, Kallakurichi on November 26, 2019, Tenkasi on November 22, 2019, Mayiladuthurai on December 28, 2020 and Tirupattur on November 28, 2019.
How many MP seats are there in Tamil Nadu?
Tamil Nadu has 39 Lok Sabha seats. In the 2019 general election, the United Progressive Alliance, led by the DMK, won a landslide 38 of the 39 seats.
Which party won polls in Tamil Nadu in 2016?
In the 2016, the AIADMK swept the elections, winning 136 of 234 seats. On May 23, 2016, Jayalalithaa was sworn in as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for the sixth time. On September 22, 2016, she was admitted to Apollo Hospital, Chennai, due to fever and dehydration. After a prolonged illness, she died on December 5, 2016.
Read Also: Delhi begins random Covid testing at Delhi Airport from today, mandatory quarantine for those found positive
After Jayalalithaa’s death, her long-time friend V.K. Sasikala was chosen general secretary of the party on December 16, 2016. But OPS, who had been acting CM twice when Jayalalithaa had to resign, rebelled against her. Due to a conviction in the disproportionate assets case, Sasikala was sentenced to four years imprisonment in Bengaluru Central Prison. Before going to jail, she appointed EPS as the Chief Minister.