Polling for the Tamil Nadu Assembly Election 2026 began at 7am on April 23 across all 234 constituencies, with around 57.3 million voters set to decide the fate of 4,023 candidates.
The electorate includes about 1.45 million first-time voters, making it one of the largest democratic exercises in India.
From early morning, film stars were spotted at various polling booths, encouraging fans to take part in the democratic process. Rajinikanth, Vijay, Ajith Kumar, Kamal Haasan, Sivakarthikeyan, Suriya, Trisha and many others stepped out to cast their votes.
The state is witnessing an unprecedented level of craze and curiosity. The debut of Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam has given the election a fresh layer of intrigue, shifting the focus from traditional family-run politics to a more modern, articulate youth movement.
Social media is buzzing with reports of a massive influx of overseas Indians returning to cast their votes from the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, Russia, the Middle East, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.
Several International flights were reportedly packed with Tamil Nadu natives who travelled back home to vote.
A video of a Singapore-Tiruchirappalli flight filled with voters went viral, capturing their enthusiasm for the electoral process.
Captain Pradeep Krishnan shared it on Instagram and wrote: “A full flight coming home to vote! Don’t complain about the future if you stayed silent on voting day.”
The contest is primarily between the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-led Secular Progressive Alliance and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-led front, but the entry of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam has added a new dimension to the race.
Key candidates include Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, AIADMK leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami and Vijay.
In 2021, the DMK-led alliance won 159 seats with a 73.63 per cent turnout.
