TN Polls: Annamalai slams EC over 'vitiated' process, urges voting

BJP leader K Annamalai expressed concerns over a 'vitiated' election process in Coimbatore South. While criticizing the Election Commission's pre-poll work, he urged citizens to come out in large numbers and cast their votes in the TN polls.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Tamil Nadu state president K Annamalai on Thursday expressed concerns over the election process in Coimbatore South, even as he urged people to come out in large numbers to vote. After casting his vote, Annamalai told ANI,"We firmly believe that the election process is vitiated in Coimbatore South, but the Election Commission, in its wisdom, has gone out and conducted the election. It is our duty to support the Election Commission today. I hope people will come out in large numbers and vote. The whole process got vitiated in the last 3-4 days in various parts of the state. I don't think the Election Commission has done pre-poll work well...We have made a personal request, and also as an alliance, it is for the EC to decide how to go about it. We have done our political duty. Every political party is confident. At the end of the day, the people have seen 5 years of DMK..."

Earlier in the day, Annamalai cast his vote at a polling station located in PSG College of Arts and Science in Coimbatore.

Voter Turnout Statistics

Meanwhile, the voter turnout in Tamil Nadu was recorded at 17.69 per cent at 9 am on Thursday. Tiruppur district recorded the highest turnout with 20.38% voting, while Chennai district registered a turnout of 16.51% and Erode recorded 19.55% turnout.

Assembly Elections Underway

Polling for the Assembly elections began in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal (Phase 1) amid tight security on Thursday. The voting will conclude at 6:00 pm today in both states. The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly elections are being held in a single phase today, while West Bengal will witness two phases of polling in the Assembly elections 2026, with the second phase scheduled to take place on April 29. The counting of votes is scheduled for May 4.

Polling is being held for 234 Assembly constituencies across Tamil Nadu. The main contest is expected between the DMK-led alliance, which includes the Indian National Congress, DMDK and VCK, and the National Democratic Alliance led by AIADMK with BJP and PMK as allies. With the DMK banking on its welfare record, the AIADMK-led NDA is fighting for a comeback. (ANI)

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