Vote-bound, five years at stake

CHENNAI: This is it. The pitched battle for power that played out for more than a month is finally coming to a head on Thursday, when the 5.73 crore voters will head to polling booths to cast their franchise; a decision that would seal their destiny, and that of Tamil Nadu, at least for the next five years.

It is not the same one-on-one clash for the high seat in Fort St George between the Dravidian majors that Tamil Nadu has been witnessing in the recent decades. That bipolar fixture was blown wide open with the entry of actor Vijay with his TVK, making it a real triangular contest this time around.

The incumbent DMK led by Chief Minister MK Stalin is cautiously optimistic that it has a fair chance to retain power, riding the twin wave of development and welfare, which its leaders and strategists believe, will put the DMK in a good stead among voters.

The AIADMK, on the other hand, is banking on what it perceives as public anger over crime rate, narcotics menace, and allegations of corruption. These have been the main talking points of its general secretary, Edappadi K Palaniswami, who has been crisscrossing the State as the singular face of the NDA.

That brings us to Vijay and his frenzied army of faithful, who, it seems, can feel it in their bones that this is their moment under the sun. Beyond the promises that he gave in the manifesto, Vijay’s quest for power is tailored around a single point: I am not like them.

Then there is that relentless rebel, Seeman, whose uncompromising stand on various political and social issues has earned his NTK a creditable share of votes till last election. But it remains to be seen how it would perform this time around.

Behind the war over Tamil Nadu are the battles for regions, the north, south, west and central. The DMK and its allies have made the northern region their fortress, while the west is the fiefdom of Palaniswami-led AIADMK. To have any hope of winning the throne, they should retain the strongholds while making gains in the others’ territory.

This familiar equation has been upended by Vijay and TVK. The jury is still out on the seats that the debutant would win, but few doubt that his party would garner votes. And none knows whose vote would he grab. Therein lies the nightmare that psephologists are facing in Tamil Nadu now. But fret not, it all is ending today, April 23, and the results will be known on May 4.