Tamil Nadu concludes election campaign, Women's Bill and delimitation prominent, voting on 23 April

The 37-day campaign, which continued unabated despite the scorching heat and temperatures soaring above 106 degrees Fahrenheit in some areas, came to a close at 6 pm today, as leaders made last-minute door-to-door appeals for votes.
The Election Commission has made stringent security arrangements for voting at 75,064 polling booths and provided basic amenities at all centers. 5.73 crore voters, including 1.21 crore youngsters, will exercise their franchise, comprising 2.80 crore men, 2.93 crore women, and 7,728 third-gender voters. Additional security will be deployed at over 5,500 sensitive booths.
This time, a record 4,023 candidates are in the fray, including 443 women, the highest ever. The election is being seen as one of the most bitter and intense contests in the state's history.
Although the election was seen as a direct contest between traditional rivals, the ruling DMK and opposition AIADMK, which have been alternating in power for the past six decades since 1967, the entry of actor-turned-politician Vijay's new party 'Tamilga Valarchi Katchi' (TVK) for the first time and the presence of actor-director Seeman's 'Naam Tamilar Katchi' (NTK) have made it a four-cornered contest. Statistically, the newly formed party of late leader JJ Lalithaa's close aide VK Sasikala, AIPTMK, which has allied with PMK led by Dr. S Ramadoss and is contesting all seats, makes it a five-cornered contest technically, however, their chances of making a significant dent in the vote bank of the Dravidian parties are slim.
Several top leaders from the BJP and Congress, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP national president Nadda, Union Ministers Rajnath Singh and Piyush Goyal, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Lok Sabha Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, Aam Aadmi Party leader and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, campaigned for their party candidates.
The campaign witnessed a series of bitter and personal attacks. Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin criticized the BJP-led Union government at all his rallies, alleging that the Center had neglected the state on various fronts and refused to give it its due share of funds. He also attacked the AIADMK, saying it had "bowed down" to the "saffron party".
National leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, who visited the state for two days in the final leg of the campaign, targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. They alleged that these leaders had held the AIADMK "hostage" to rule the state from Delhi and were attempting to run the government through an RSS proxy. AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge also took on the Center.
On the other hand, in the opposition camp, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami targeted Mr. Stalin, saying he had failed to fulfill his promises. He also criticized the alleged corruption in various departments during the DMK's rule, the deteriorating law and order situation, and the rising crimes against women and children. Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah also accused the DMK and its ally Congress of being steeped in corruption and promoting family rule. They listed out the funds and initiatives given to the state in recent years and sought support for the NDA's "double-engine government" for Tamil Nadu's development.
As the campaign entered its final phase, the issue of linking the 'Women's Bill' to delimitation became a major electoral issue. The 131st Constitutional Amendment Bill, which aimed to redraw Lok Sabha seats based on the 2011 census to facilitate the implementation of a 33% quota for women in legislatures, was defeated at the hands of the Congress-led united opposition 'India' block. The Union government failed to muster the necessary two-thirds majority required for any constitutional amendment. The failure of the bill in the special session of Parliament came at a time when Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah were trying to allay the opposition's concerns that the number of Lok Sabha seats would decrease, particularly for southern states that had effectively implemented population control measures, while the benefit would accrue to the more populous northern states. They reiterated that every state would see a 50% increase in seats, which would take Tamil Nadu's tally from 39 to 59. Mr. Shah even said he was willing to give a written guarantee and asked the opposition if it was ready to clear the bill.
The failure of the bill worked to the advantage of both the DMK and AIADMK leaderships. Prime Minister Modi, Amit Shah, and Rajnath Singh accused the opposition of "betraying" women, while Stalin, Rahul Gandhi, and Kharge repeatedly said it was an attempt to reduce the number of seats. All top leaders from the four major fronts campaigned in the scorching heat and visited every nook and corner of the state to woo voters.
As the campaign drew to a close, top national leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, who visited the state for two days in the final leg of the campaign, targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. They alleged that these leaders had held the AIADMK "hostage" to rule the state from Delhi and were attempting to run the government through an RSS proxy. AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge also took on the Center.
The DMK-led multi-party alliance, which has been winning all elections since 2019 and formed the government in 2021 after a decade-long gap, is determined to return to power and continue its "Dravidian Model 2.0". On the other hand, the AIADMK, led by Edappadi K Palaniswami, is facing its biggest test in its 53-year political history, as it no longer has leaders like MGR and Jayalalithaa who could attract voters with their mere presence. The party has also stitched together a reasonable alliance to prove that its consecutive electoral defeats were just a temporary trend.
A significant player in the electoral arena is Vijay's fledgling party 'TVK', which is contesting all 234 seats on its own, as it failed to get any alliance partner despite Vijay's announcement of being open to sharing power, and another seasoned 'NTK' founded by actor-director Seeman, who is, as per tradition, going solo this time as well.
Key personalities in the fray include DMK's MK Stalin and his son and Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin. Former AIADMK leader and three-time former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, who was expelled, is now with the DMK, continuing his political journey, as his attempts to return to the AIADMK and the NDA had failed. Other key candidates include DMDK's general secretary Premalatha Vijayakant (Vardharaj), Palaniswami (Edappadi), who is the NDA face and the chief ministerial candidate, and senior BJP leaders such as state president Nainar Nagendran (Sathur), Union Minister L Murugan (Vanniyar Reserve), former state president and Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan (Mylapore), and BJP Mahila Morcha national president Vanathi Srinivasan (Coimbatore North).
In addition to the current and former ministers and stalwarts of both Dravidian parties, who are in the fray from their respective strongholds, other candidates include Water Resources Minister and election strategist DMK general secretary Durai Murugan (Katpadi, from where he is contesting a record 13th time), TNCC president KS Alagiri (Sriperumbudur Reserve), and the widow of slain Bahujan Samaj Party state president, Armstrong R Purokodi (on the AIADMK symbol).
Former Minister KA Sengottaiyan (Gobichettipalayam), who was sacked, is also in the fray, having joined 'TVK' after his attempts to return to the AIADMK and the NDA failed.
Vijay is contesting his first electoral battle from two seats - Chennai's Perambur and Trichy East - while Seeman is the candidate from the southern district of Sivaganga's Karaikudi constituency. In Trichy East, Vijay faces DMK's sitting MLA Inigo Irudayaraj and AIADMK's K Rajasekaran, while in Perambur, he is pitted against DMK's AR Sheikh and PMK's M Sathyabama.
The DMK is contesting 164 seats, while 12 candidates from its allies are also in the fray on the DMK's 'Rising Sun' symbol, taking the total to 176. The remaining 58 seats are being contested by alliance parties on their symbols. Its key allies include the Congress (28 seats), DMDK (10), VCK (8), CPI and CPI(M) (5 each), and MDMK (4).
In the AIADMK alliance, the party has given 67 seats to its NDA partners and is contesting 167 seats. The AIADMK's key ally, the BJP, is contesting 27 seats, while former Union Minister Anbumani Ramadoss-led PMK is contesting 18, and