Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Stage set for three-cornered fight in Tamil Nadu after PM Modi's campaign blitz

Voting on all 39 seats of Tamil Nadu will be held in the first phase of Lok Sabha Elections . The poling at 68,000 polling stations of the state will decide the fate of approximately 950 candidates vying for the 39 seats.

Chief Minister MK Stalin-led (DMK) is contesting the elections in alliance with the Congress. In 2019, the DMK-led alliance had won 38 of the 39 parliamentary constituencies in the state.

The state's ruling party-led alliance is fighting against rivals, the All India Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam () and the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), who have forged separate alliances, unlike in 2019, making it a triangular contest.

Tamil Nadu has often witnessed elections swept by one of the two major alliances since 2004 when the DMK-led front had swept the polls, winning all the seats. The 2009 election was an exception when DMK-led alliance won 27 seats and the AIADMK alliance won remaining 11 seats.

The AIADMK-led alliance won 37 seats of Tamil Nadu in 2014. In 2019, DMK-led alliance swept the in the state.

AIADMK’s campaign was led by former Chief Minister and leader of opposition who took on the ruling DMK during his campaign. While Palaniswami  attacked the DMK on various issues, he also targeted the BJP towards the fag end of his campaign blaming the former ally of being discriminatory on the basis of "caste and religion."

(Central Chennai), A Raja (Nilgiris), Kanimozhi (Thoothukudi) are prominent DMK faces in the election. Congress party's Karti Chidambaram (Sivaganga) and AIADMK's J Jayavardhan (South Chennai) are other watched candidates being watched keenly.

This election holds significant importance this time, given the vigorous campaign led by the BJP, spearheaded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The PM visited