Veteran actor Sivakumar voted at a polling station in Chennai on Thursday as the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections took place. After casting his vote, he addressed the media and urged that the abolition of the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Limited (TASMAC) be made a priority by whichever party forms the government.
Sivakumar stated, “Whichever party forms the government must prioritise the abolition of Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Limited (TASMAC). No administration should pursue policies that endanger the lives and futures of the state’s youth. It is unacceptable for those in governance to amass crores of rupees while in power…”
Polling for the Assembly elections commenced amid tight security on Thursday and will conclude at 6:00 pm. The counting of votes is scheduled for May 4.
Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik reported that the state’s electorate includes more than 57.3 million voters, comprising 29,304,905 female voters, 28,030,658 male voters, and 7,728 third-gender voters. The poll authorities are also facilitating 1,459,039 first-time voters and 68,501 service voters, with 418,541 postal votes already received.
To ensure a smooth vote counting process, 62 centres have been established. The main contest is expected to be between the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance, which includes the Congress, DMDK, and VCK, and the National Democratic Alliance led by AIADMK with BJP and PMK as allies.
With the DMK promoting its Dravidian 2.0 model, the AIADMK-led NDA seeks a comeback. Actor-turned-politician Vijay is set to make his electoral debut with his party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), potentially turning the election into a three-way contest.