Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], April 23 (ANI): Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) Executive Committee Chief Coordinator KA Sengottaiyan was among the early voters for the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections on Thursday.

Sengottaiyan cast his vote at Kullampalayam, which falls under the Gobichettipalayam Assembly constituency in Erode district.

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Meanwhile, IIT Madras Director Veezhinathan Kamakoti voted at a polling station in Chennai's Mylapore.

Speaking after casting his vote, he highlighted the importance of long-term national goals, saying, "We have 21 years for Viksit Bharat 2047, which is very important. All the governments and states have to fine-tune themselves... Education and health are very important priorities. We have been doing well as a state and I am sure we will continue this great job and we will offer the best in terms of these two, the highest priority."

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Tamil Nadu saw high-profile participation from the film fraternity as superstar Rajinikanth went for a morning walk ahead of casting his vote at Stella Maris College in Chennai. Actor Gautham Ram Karthik also voted at the same polling station. Actor S Ajith Kumar cast his vote at a polling station in Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai, as several prominent personalities joined voters across the state in the electoral process.

Polling for the Assembly elections began in Tamil Nadu amid tight security on Thursday. The voting will conclude at 6:00 pm today.

The counting of votes is scheduled for May 4.

Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Archana Patnaik said that the state's electorate comprises over 5.73 crore voters, featuring 2,93,04,905 female voters, 2,80,30,658 male voters, and 7,728 third-gender voters. The poll body is also catering to 14,59,039 first-time voters and 68,501 service voters, with 4,18,541 postal votes already received. Furthermore, 62 counting centres have already been established to ensure a smooth process after the high-stakes voting concludes.

The main contest is expected 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 banking on its Dravidian 2.0 model, the AIADMK-led NDA is fighting for a comeback. Actor-turned-politician Vijay is also set to make his electoral debut with his party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), which could turn the contest into a three-way fight. (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)