In the absence of any last-minute surprises, the assembly elections in Tamil Nadu will be a three-cornered contest featuring the DMK-led front, an NDA anchored by AIADMK, and actor Vijay’s TVK. The Tamil nationalist NTK, headed by Seeman, forms a fourth group that can play spoilsport for any of the other three.
Two questions dominate the pre-poll scenario: First, can Stalin win a second consecutive term – something his father M Karunananidhi couldn’t, and M G Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa could – and, second, how many votes and seats will Vijay’s party win?