Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin departed for Dubai with his family following the completion of polling in the state assembly elections.
He left Chennai International Airport on Friday morning.
On Thursday, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, after casting his vote at a polling station in Chennai, expressed confidence in the party’s success. “Just like I exercised my right, everyone must fulfil their democratic duty, it is important…Tamil Nadu will win,” he stated.
Alongside the Chief Minister, his wife Durga Stalin, Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, and other family members also voted at the Chennai polling station. Udhayanidhi Stalin’s wife, Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi, said, “Just come out and vote. I have been doing this for the last 25 years. My son is voting for the first time.”
MK Stalin is contesting from his stronghold of Kolathur Assembly constituency. He is facing a significant multi-cornered challenge from Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam’s (TVK) VS Babu, AIADMK’s P Santhana Krishnan, and NTK’s Soundara Pandian Louther Seth. This has turned Kolathur into a highly competitive triangular contest, with actor-turned-politician Vijay’s TVK aiming to disrupt traditional vote banks while the AIADMK attempts to regain lost support.
Stalin’s electoral record in Kolathur remains strong. In 2021, he received 105,522 votes (61.4%), defeating AIADMK’s Aadi Rajaram by a margin of 70,384 votes, with a voter turnout of 64.63% among 268,296 electors.
Meanwhile, Udhayanidhi Stalin is contesting from the Chepauk-Triplicane Assembly constituency, where he faces opponents AIADMK’s Adhi Rajaram, NTK’s Ayisha Begum, and TVK’s D Selvam.
Polling for Phase I of the assembly elections concluded at 6 pm on Thursday, with Tamil Nadu recording an 84.80 per cent voter turnout, according to the Election Commission of India. The high turnout occurred amid tight security across constituencies.
Vote counting is scheduled for May 4.