As polling in the first phase of the general election concluded by Friday 6 pm, Tamil Nadu registered a voter turn-out of 63 .2 per cent till 5 pm, according to the Election Commission of India. Final figures would be released by 8 pm, said the ECI officials.

Dharmapuri registered 73.51 per cent while Krishnagiri recorded 64.24 per cent (figures recorded till 5 pm). Chennai Central, from where former Telangana Governor Dr Tamilissai Sounderarajan was contesting recorded 41.47 per cent till 3 pm, according to Satyabrata Sahoo, chief electoral officer.

Latha Ravishankar, a BJP activist in Chennai Central, had disappointment written all over her face as voters failed to make it to the polling booths despite lot of cajoling by her and other volunteers. But the DMK camp sounded positive as the low-turn out is expected to make the prospectus of the party candidates smooth.

The State has 39 constituencies while the neighboring Puducherry has one seat.

Polling in both Tamil Nadu and Puducherry were peaceful barring some routine skirmishes associated with election.

The main contest in Tamil Nadu is between the three fronts led by the DMK, the AIAMK and the BJP. K Annamalai, the young president of Tamil Nadu BJP had created a sensation across the State and the first time voters were impressed with his style of politics. If the BJP manages to score 25 per cent of the popular votes, it would be a landmark event in Tamil Nadu’s political history.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP drew a blank having failed to win even a single seat. The AIADMK could win just on seat while the dMK-led alliance made a clean sweep by winning all the 39 seats.

Kolahala Srenivaas, chief editor, Kolahala TV News Channel, is of the opinion that this time it would be entirely different. “There is a string anti-incumbency wave against the DMK and AIADMK is likely to win at least six or seven seats,” he said.