Assembly Elections 2016: Know your state-- Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu will have single phase assembly elections on May 16, Monday and the results will be announced on May 19, Thursday.

Tamil Nadu's 15th legislative assembly is ruled by Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa-led AIADMK. It has 234 assembly seats. In 2011 assembly elections, AIADMK had won 150 seats, DMDK-29, DMK-23, CPM-10, CPI-9 and Others-13 seats. [Know Your Leader Profile: J Jayalalithaa- AIADMK]

Let's take a look at the statistics of the poll-bound state:

State: TAMIL NADU

Important Dates:

Date of Issue of Gazette Notification: April 22

Last Date for Nominations: April 29

Date for Scrutiny of Nominations: April 30

Last date for withdrawal of candidatures: May 2

Date of polling: May 16

Tenure of present govt ends on May 22

Results: May 19

Number of assembly constituencies: 234 [188-General, 44-Scheduled Caste, 2-Scheduled Tribes]

[List of 234 constituencies]

Parliamentary Constituencies: 39

Ruling Party: AIADMK

Opposition Party: DMK

Governor: K Rosaiah

Chief Electoral Officer: IAS officer Rajesh Lakhoni

Total voters this year: 5.79 Crore [Men: 3,45,132; Women: 2,69,617; Third gender: 143]

Polling booths: 65,616

First time voters: 6,14,892

2011 Results (Party-wise): 50 Political parties had contested in 2011 Tamil Nadu assembly polls.

AIADMK-150
DMDK-29
DMK-23
CPM-10
CPI-9
INC-5
PMK-3
MMKA-2
PT-2
AIFB-1

Facts:

• To strengthen their chances of winning, DMK has tied up with Congress and the ruling AIADMK may join hands with the BJP.
• AIADMK has launched a website - Supportaiadmk.org, in run upto polls.
• If DMK (that has formed pre-poll alliance with Congress) manages to win, then MK Stalin may emerge as the chief ministerial candidate.
• BJP's chances of getting seats in the southern state looks bleak, if pre-poll surveys are to be believed.