DMK alliance to win 180 constituencies, securing 44.9 per cent vote share in TN polls: Survey
Chennai (PTI): The ruling DMK alliance is projected to win 180 of the 234 constituencies in the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, according to a pre-poll survey released on Monday.
Addressing the media here, R Suresh Kumar, CEO of Agni News Service (ANS), which conducted the survey, said, "the DMK alliance is expected to secure a 44.9 per cent vote share."
The opposition AIADMK alliance is projected to win 54 seats with a 38.5 per cent vote share, facing a major defeat in the Chennai region where it is expected to win zero seats.
The survey predicts a 9.7 per cent vote share for the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) and 4.8 per cent for the Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK).
The agency projects that TVK leader Vijay will finish second in Perambur, while NTK chief coordinator Seeman will lose in Karaikudi.
According to the findings, incumbent Chief Minister M K Stalin has the highest chief ministerial influence, whereas Edappadi K Palaniswami lacks such influence.
The survey highlighted strong backing for the DMK among women, with over 60 per cent expected to support the alliance due to the Rs 5,000 financial assistance scheme. Furthermore, 49 per cent of women respondents consider Tamil Nadu a safe state.
Conducted between February 7 and March 12, the survey included 1,01,643 respondents. The agency noted that 30 constituencies currently have a victory margin of less than five per cent. A final opinion poll is scheduled for release on April 19.
Tamil Nadu will contest the election on April 23.
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Hearing in defamation case against Rahul Gandhi postponed till March 27
Sultanpur (UP) (PTI): Hearing in the defamation case involving Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, which was scheduled to take place on Monday at the MP-MLA Court in Uttar Pradesh's Sultanpur district, could not take place due to the non-appearance of the plaintiff Vijay Mishra.
The court will now hear this matter on March 27.
Santosh Kumar Pandey, the advocate of the plaintiff, on Monday said that he had submitted a formal application to the court during the previous hearing.
This application requested that the audio and video recordings of the statements made by Rahul Gandhi, which have been presented as evidence, be matched with Rahul Gandhi's authentic voice.
Due to Vijay Mishra's absence, the court has scheduled the next hearing for March 27, when the arguments in the case will be presented.
On February 20, Gandhi, the MP from Raebareli, had appeared before the court and recorded his statement, claiming the case was filed against him due to political vendetta. He had also told the court that the audio and video evidence submitted by the complainant was incorrect and said he would present his own evidence.
The case stems from Gandhi's alleged objectionable remarks against then BJP president Amit Shah during the 2018 Karnataka election campaign.
Following the remarks, Mishra, a resident of Hanumanganj under Kotwali Dehat police station area in Sultanpur, filed the defamation complaint.
In December 2023, the court had issued a warrant against Gandhi after he failed to appear before it. He later surrendered before the court in February 2024 and was granted bail on two surety bonds of Rs 25,000 each.
