Poll Predictions: Will BJP's Annamalai Win Coimbatore Seat? Here's What ETG Survey Says

The BJP has been betting high on the Coimbatore seat in Tamil Nadu as it tries hard to find relevancy in Tamil Nadu politics.

It has fielded its state president K Annamalai from this seat. The ruling DMK, having taken the seat back from CPIM, has nominated Ganapathy P Rajkumar, a former Coimbatore mayor who joined the party in 2020 after departing from AIADMK, thereby breaking the decade-long seat-sharing agreement between DMK and CPIM.

On the other hand, AIADMK has put forth Singai Ramachandran as its candidate. As a result, a fierce, three-way battle is underway in Coimbatore, with BJP, DMK, and AIADMK all vying for supremacy.

So, who will win this seat?
As per ETG Survey's snap poll, is the elections are held today, the BJP is winning the seat by a considerable margin.

"In the Coimbatore Lok Sabha constituency, the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate is currently leading ahead of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) candidate. The increasing popularity and remarkable journey of K Annamalai seem to be playing a pivotal role, giving him a distinct advantage in the ongoing elections," the survey said.

The ETG claims that the sample size of the survey is 1930 with a margin of error is plus or minus 3 per cent. Coimbatore comprises six assembly segments: Coimbatore South, Coimbatore North, Kavundampalayam, Singanallur, Sulur, and Palladam.

The BJP is projected to secure a minimum of 41 per cent of the vote share across all these segments.

In Palladam, the BJP's expected vote share stands at 50 per cent, while the DMK's share ranges from 28 to 34 per cent across the six segments. Surprisingly, AIADMK candidates are anticipated to receive less than a double-digit vote share in most areas.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a rally in Coimbatore on Wednesday. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin along with senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will be campaigning for the DMK candidate on Friday.

What Voters Say?
Speaking to The Times of India, a resident in Coimbatore expressed her concern over the rising crime in the city. "Murders, theft, pickpocketing and crime in general have all gone up a lot in the last few years," he said.

One voter said, "I voted for DMK last time but this time I will vote for BJP because I want a change and I like Annamalai," He added, "From what I can see, in the last three years, the crime in Coimbatore has gone up quite a bit and I'm hoping Annamalai will help to control that."

A senior citizen told the daily that she would vote for the DMK even after not getting Rs 1000 from the state government under the 'Kalaignar Magalir Urimai' scheme. Another resident claimed that she would vote for the DMK, hoping that the DMK government would fulfil poll promises.

Expressing satisfaction with Annamalai's constructive criticism on policy matters, a businessman stated his intention to vote for him. He said, "We don't see any right candidates in the AIADMK in order to take the laws into the right direction," he added. "Annamalai has got the experience and the education to sensibly do it."