Chennai
The AIADMK is likely to form the next government with a simple majority going by the trend emerging from counting of votes.
Thanking the people of the state for reposing faith in her and voting the AIADMK to power, Ms Jayalalithaa said the victory was truly historic as no ruling party has won an election for the second successive time after AIADMK Founder MGR in 1984.
Though both the AIADMK and the DMK had ruled the state by winning the elections alternatively with a big majority, it was for the first time the contest was close between the two parties, with AIADMK slightly ahead of the magical 118-mark in the 234 member Assembly.
Despite the elections witnessing a multi-cornered contest with major players deciding to go it alone and as per the tradition it turned out to be a two-horse race as both the AIADMK and the DMK-Congress alliance put together were leading in about 230 of the total 232 seats.
The trends clearly showed that the ruling party has proved the pollsters wrong, though it was a close fight between the two dravidian majors.
There was significant gain for the DMK, which had lost the Principal opposition leader status for the first time in the 2011 Assembly elections in which it won just 23 seats.
By reviving its alliance with the Congress, the DMK has made deep inroads by leading in more than 90 seats.
It was even more special as the Chennai city has re-emerged as the DMK's fortress, with the party set to win 12 of the 16 seats.
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