AIADMK sweeps TN polls

The Jayalalithaa-led AIADMK front forged ahead of its rival the ruling DMK front and is heading for a sweep, according to trends for assembly election in Tamil Nadu.

The AIADMK had established leads in over 190 seats in the 234-member House.

The ruling DMK front is way behind, leading only in 39 constituencies. Corruption charges on various DMK leaders arising out of the 2G spectrum allocation scam have come to haunt the party. As the AIADMK juggernaut rolls on in Tamil Nadu, a majority of DMK ministers are trailing. The only two among the prominent DMK faces who have established leads are chief minister M Karunanidhi in Tiruvarur and his son M K Stalin in Chennai’s suburban Kolathur.

Among the DMK ministers trailing are finance minister K Anbazhagan, higher education minister K Ponmudi, food minister E V Velu, transport minister KN Nehru, health minister M R K Paneerselvam, backward classes minister K K S S R Ramachandran, agriculture minister Veerapandi Arumugham, Hindu religious and charitable endowments minister K R Periyakaruppan, school education minister Thangam Thennarasu, tourism minister Suresh Rajan, sports minister T P M Mohideen Khan, commercial tax minister S N M Ubayadulla, forest minister N Selvaraj, IT minister Poongothai Aladi Aruna and fisheries minister K P P Samy. AIADMK Chief Jayalalithaa was ahead in Srirangam. Post-poll surveys were not very clear about who would come to power. Times of India