Tamil Nadu had set a new state record with an 84.69 per cent turnout by 8pm on Thursday, with many people still in queue to vote and the figures from some far-flung polling stations yet to arrive.
The women’s turnout was an unprecedented 2 percentage points higher than the men’s.
The previous overall record, more than 6 percentage points lower at 78.29 per cent, came in 2011.
Thursday’s numbers are likely to have been boosted by the removal of absent, shifted, duplicate and dead voters during the SIR, which shaved almost 16 per cent off the state’s rolls.
However, even in absolute numbers, the turnout exceeded that of 2021 — when 4.58 crore voted — by at least 27 lakh.
Tamil Nadu is witnessing a three-way contest between the incumbent DMK-Congress alliance, the main Opposition AIADMK-BJP, and new entrant TVK led by actor Vijay.
Long queues had formed before the polling stations even before they opened at 7am, and huge crowds were seen at bus terminuses in the main cities with people headed to their hometowns to vote.
Polling was to close at 6pm, with those in queue at the time allowed to vote. Vijay, however, asked the Election Commission to extend the polling time till 8pm.
The previous high of 2011 had seen the late Jayalalithaa’s AIADMK alliance win almost 52 per cent of the votes cast and 203 of the 234 seats, reducing the DMK-led alliance to 31 seats.
The DMK had ended up losing even the leader of the Opposition’s post to late actor Vijaykanth’s Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam — an AIADMK ally during the polls that declared itself an Opposition party after the election.
In 2011, there had been a net addition of 11.5 lakh voters, and a wave of anti-incumbency against the DMK had swept the state.
“Highest ever percentage polling in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu since Independence. ECI salutes each voter of West Bengal and Tamil Nadu,” chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said.
Karur district topped with a turnout of 91.86 per cent.
Chennai registered 83.09 per cent, Madurai 80.15 per cent, Coimbatore 84.4 per cent and Tiruchirappalli 85.04 per cent.
The Kolathur Assembly constituency, where DMK supremo and chief minister M.K. Stalin is a contestant, had witnessed 85.63 per cent polling till 6pm.
The figure was 83.58 per cent in deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin’s constituency of Chepauk-Tiruvallikeni. Both seats are in Chennai.
The Edappadi constituency in Salem saw 91.61 per cent polling. AIADMK general secretary and former chief minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami is contesting from here.
In Tiruchirappalli East, where Vijay is in the fray, 81.55 per cent polling had been recorded till 6pm. Vijay’s other seat of Perambur in Chennai witnessed 89.2 per cent polling.
BJP leader Narayanan Thirupathy attributed the high turnout to the Election Commission and its poll reforms, asserting it reflected a robust democratic spirit and signalled a victory for the AIADMK-BJP alliance, PTI reported.
“Full credit to SIR. Hats off to the Election Commission of India. We have seen in Bihar, Assam, West Bengal, Kerala and now in Pondicherry and Tamil Nadu,” Thirupathy told PTI Videos.
He said those who had opposed these reforms (SIR) should feel “ashamed”, with citizens having exercised their right to vote in “large, large, large numbers”.
Thirupathy alleged that the DMK had resorted to widespread malpractice from a “fear of defeat”. He claimed money “flowed like a river” and there was violence.