Chennai:
The juggernaut of ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu crushed the DMK and other fronts to post the highest-ever total of Lok Sabha seats ever by a party in the State. The Jayalalitha-led AIADMK bagged 37 out of 39 seats, with the PMK and the BJP winning only one seat each in Dharmapuri and Kanyakumari respectively.
The Amma wave meant that the DMK drew a blank, though it won 18 seats in 2009 in the company of the Congress.
The AIADMK dealt giant blows to the aspirations of two former Union ministers A Raja (Nilgiris) and Dayanidhi (Chennai Central), who face cases with respect to the 2G deal and the Aircel-Maxis transaction. Another Union minister who bit the dust was T R Baalu who lost at Thanjavur though he changed his constituency.
AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa, talking to mediapersons here, said the verdict was the expression of love and confidence by the people.
“I wish the new government and Prime Minister well, and hope that the new Centre will be friendly towards Tamil Nadu,” said Jaya. She hoped that a “friendly government” would come into being. If Jayalalithaa was disappointed that no role was envisaged for her party at the Centre for the moment, she did not show it.
DMK president M Karunanidhi conceded defeat and congratulated Narendra Modi for the BJP victory in the elections. The DMK would continue to work for the people without being disheartened by the defeat, he said adding that the party would never allow success to go its head or allow a defeat to break the heart. The DMK surprisingly finished third even in several constituencies.
The NDA candidates came third in most of the constituencies indicating that there was no Modi wave in the State.
In the Kanyakumari constituency, BJP State president Pon Radhakrishnan had to stave off a strong challenge from H Vasanthakumar of the Congress, who even led at various stages during the counting.
In Dharmapuri, former Union minister and PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss triumphed. The DMDK, the largest constituent of the front, ironically went seatless.
