DMK alliance leading on 144 seats in Tamil Nadu
With 27% of the votes counted in Tamil Nadu, and trends available for all the 234 assembly constituencies (AC), the DMK alliance was leading in 144 seats and the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) alliance in 86, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI) website
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) alliance crossed the halfway mark in Tamil Nadu, according to the trends in the counting of votes on Sunday evening.
With 27% of the votes counted in Tamil Nadu, and trends available for all the 234 assembly constituencies (AC), the DMK alliance was leading in 144 seats and the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) alliance in 86, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI) website.
The halfway mark is 118.
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The DMK alliance was only marginally ahead of the AIADMK alliance in terms of vote share though -- 44.8% to 40.6% -- bucking the prediction of most exit polls that suggested a DMK sweep. To be sure, these trends may not hold as counting progresses.
Chief minister E Palaniswami was leading from Edapaddi, as was principal challenger MK Stalin from Kolathur.
In 2016, the AIADMK created history in the state by managing to retain power for the first time since 1984. The DMK-led alliance swept the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, winning 38 out of 39 seats.