Electoral fortunes of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa and her challenger, DMK Chief M Karunanidhi, will be decided on Monday in the single phase polling for the 234 constituencies Assembly.
In 2001, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam wrested power from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam with the powerful backing of almost all opposition parties. It took 132 of the 140 seats it contested, making inroads in almost all the regions of the state.
The AIADMK front, consisting of the Congress, the now defunct Tamil Manila Congress, the Pattali Makkal Katchi, the Communist Party of India-Marxist and the Communist Party of India made a clean sweep, leaving just 30 seats to the DMK and four to its ally BJP.
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Complete Coverage: The Five-State Fight
The MGR ADMK, floated by S Thirunavukarassar, which later merged with the BJP, got one seat in alliance with the DMK.
But the 2004 Lok Sabha polls saw a complete reversal of the trend not only in the alliance pattern but also in the outcome of polls. The DMK roped in all the opposition parties into its fold and the alliance tasted cent per cent success.
AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa, who had been talking of an alliance with the people alone, after the rout of her party in the Lok Sabha polls, sensed the danger and was successful in creating a rift among the constituents of the Democratic Progressive Alliance.
She was able to draw the MDMK out of the DPA.
Tomorrow's polls is said to be most fierce in the annals of elections in Tamil Nadu and the Election Commission has not taken any chances on the polling day.
Unprecedented security arrangements have been made and 198 companies of paramilitary forces, which have arrived here, will be deployed along with the state police.
Over 3,300 booths had been identified as sensitive depending on the candidates in the fray, caste or religious conflicts in the area. Nearly 3 lakh personnel will be on election duty in 51,534 polling stations during the polls.
With the Election Commission strictly enforcing the model code of conduct and expenses under its watchful eyes, political parties resorted to a massive publicity blitz over the satellite channels in the state, with politicians running them.
The EC had banned beaming of publicity materials from 1700 IST on Saturday.
The state has 4.63 crore voters and they will elect 234 members to the Assembly from 2586 candidates.
