Tamil Nadu witnessed a record voter turnout of over 85 per cent in the first-phase elections that saw a high-stake three-cornered fight between the ruling DMK, AIADMK and new entrant TVK led by actor Vijay.
While the entire state saw a brisk turnout, the highest was recorded in the Kongu region, the western belt and the industrial heartland of Tamil Nadu. According to the latest information released on the ECINET app of the Election Commission of India, Karur registered the highest voter turnout with 92.63 per cent.
The Kongu zone is always a deciding factor, and the voter turnout this time is a sign of a major political shift, according to political analysts.
The Kongu region has always been an AIADMK stronghold. In 2021, despite a DMK sweep across the state, the AIADMK won 26 out of 38 constituencies. The AIADMK had managed to capture the entire districts of Coimbatore and Dharmapuri and most of the seats in Salem. The party’s big leaders also hail from the region; former Chief Minister and AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi Palaniswami is from Salem district, while former ministers S.P. Velumani, Thangamani, K.P. Munusamy, K.P. Anbazhagan, M.R. Vijayabaskar, Udumalai Radhakrishnan, Pollachi Jayaraman and many others are from Kongu Mandal.
As expected, the high voting percentage in the region has set tongues wagging. While conventional wisdom mandates that a higher voter turn out indicates people want change in favour of opposition parties, the equation hits a hurdle in Kongu. This is unlikely to benefit the AIADMK as it controls the entire region.
That said, the arrival of actor Vijay's TVK cannot be underestimated. Speculations are that Vijay is an influential factor behind an increased voting percentage. It is expected that votes against AIADMK will not go directly to DMK but will be divided between the party and TVK. DMK, however, could have a slightly favourable outcome in the region due to its current standing and social strength. There are no famous faces on TCK’s sides except Sengottaiyan, Arunraj, and Lokesh Tamilselvan. This too is likely to turn in DMK's favour.
Even the pre-poll survey predictions are not favourable for the DMK, which will dominate the region too, winning 44 to 46 seats. It has been said that AIADMK will win only 9-10 seats and TVK will win only 2-3 seats.
