City: Chennai

Even as the AIADMK government assumed office with a historic second consecutive victory in the Assembly Elections, DMK swept Chennai, by winning 10 out of 16 seats. Another factor was anti-incumbency - except for Dr. Radhakrishnan Nagar, Kolathur, Royapuram, and Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni, none of the other constituencies in Chennai district saw the reelection of sitting MLAs. Was this expected? Yes, it was, for at least some poll analysts. Many constituencies in Chennai were not so happy with their MLAs’ performance during the last tenure. This was projected in a survey done in February by Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), an NGO…

Even as the torrential rains in December improved groundwater tables, unchecked extraction of groundwater by water tankers is a cause for worry. Who will bell this cat? Even as the mercury soars, the increase in groundwater level and storage in reservoirs have eased the concern of residents over water shortage in many parts of Chennai. After the record rainfall last year that resulted in severe flooding, the ground water level in many areas around the city has increased by 6-8 metres, with some areas even recording an increase of 10.5 metres, according to the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage…

To view map, see: http://bl.ocks.org/d/37594a1fa5d0467ebf72d714d23ee31e Chepauk-Triplicane constituency was formed by the merging of Chepauk and Triplicane- two localities in Central Chennai- as part of the delimitation process in 2008. Erstwhile Chepauk constituency was represented by DMK MLAs since 1977; whereas erstwhile Triplicane elected  DMK candidates in six out of nine elections. DMK President M. Karunanidhi was elected from here in 1996, 2001 and 2006 Assembly Elections.  J. Anbazhagan (DMK) is the incumbent MLA of this DMK stronghold. This constituency has over 2.5 lakh voters. Minority votes play a crucial role in this constituency, as over 25 per cent of voters belong…

To view map, see: http://bl.ocks.org/d/af8dc36ebe81deb00e29bc2e96947aae. Dr. Radhakrishnan Nagar (R.K. Nagar) was with the DMK from 1977-89, but  has been a stronghold of AIADMK since 2001.The constituency has around 2.5 lakh voters, majority of them belonging to the lower income groups. RK Nagar constituency includes Korukkupet, Tondiarpet, New Washermenpet, Jeeva Nagar, Cherian Nagar, Dr. Radhakrishnan Nagar, and Kumarasamy Nagar. Despite all the buzz about being a high-profile constituency, civic issues including drinking water supply, healthcare, pollution, and sanitation remain the  main concerns of residents in RK Nagar. Candidates Jayalalithaa. J. (AIADMK) Shimla Muthuchozan (DMK) Agnes P. (PMK) Raja M.N (BJP) Vasanthi Devi…

To view map, see: http://bl.ocks.org/d/3a35085d38f71f53fc61c2c4a31bf3e7  Anna Nagar was a stronghold of DMK till the last elections. DMK was elected here in seven out of nine Assembly Elections since 1977, and M. Karunanidhi was the MLA of this constituency from 1977-84. This has changed since the last elections with the victory of AIADMK’s S.Gokul Indira, Minister for Handlooms and Textiles, by a margin of 35,000 votes. DMK is campaigning hard to win Anna Nagar back whereas AIADMK’s campaign focuses on J.Jayalalitha’s achievements in an attempt to retain the constituency. There are  around 2.83 lakh voters in Anna Nagar constituency this year.…

To view map, see: http://bl.ocks.org/d/ef443c75b51c94ad2357832e66205282 The first Assembly Election of this newly formed constituency was held in 2011. Velachery was carved out of Tambaram constituency as part of the delimitation process in 2008. AIADMK’s M.K. Ashok was the first MLA of Velachery, which is one of the largest constituencies in Chennai. There are over 2.96 lakh voters from Thiruvanmiyur, Adyar,  Adyar,  Alandur, Pallikaranai, Perungudi and Velachery. Candidates Munusamy (AIADMK) V.N. Rajan (DMDK) Vagai Chandarasekar (DMK) Sritharan (BJP) Vinobha Bhoopathi (PMK) Chandrasekharan (NTK) A Chanderan (Makkal Manadu Katchi) Selva Kumar (Gandhiyan Peoples’ Party) Independent Raja Krishnamoorthy ‘Kitty’ Prabhu Sundaram Eswaran Shanta Kumar…

To view map, see: http://bl.ocks.org/d/482ec85469589d6e660bd8945e6d6ba0. Royapuram constituency which lies in North Chennai has over 1.86 lakh voters from areas including Basin Bridge, Singara Garden, Royapuram, Narayanappa garden, and Sanjeevarayanpet. Earlier a stronghold of DMK, AIADMK is in power here since 2001. This constituency has a large concentration of  the Anglo Indian community. Candidates Jayakumar D (AIADMK) Jemeela M.R. (BJP) Rubalingam K. (BSP) Perumal T.S. (PMK) Anandha Raj B. (NTK) Manohar R. (INC) Biju Chacko (TMC(M)) Kandhasamy R. (SHS) P. Parangusam (Labour Party (Secular)) Syed Rafi Basha H. (Social Democratic Party of India) Independent Dhanasekaran G. Ganeshprabhu P. Purushothaman P.P. Rajaraman N.…

To view map, see: http://bl.ocks.org/d/e2e6aeaae37a9ed7e58a2f13c995a700 Villivakkam, once the largest Assembly Constituency in Chennai, now has over 2.52 lakh voters from Viduthalai Guruswamy Nagar (South) , Ayanavaram, Nagammaiyar Nagar (South), Panneerselvam Nagar, Villivakkam (North) and Villivakkam (South) . After the delimitation in 2008, Kolathur, Madhavaram, Ambattur, Maduravoyal, and Virugambakkam were carved out from it, while parts of Purasawalkam were added to make the constituency in its present form. Before delimitation, the constituency has seen DMK, AIADMK, CPI (M), TMC(M), and INC in power. Candidates Raju  (AIADMK) Ranganathan (DMK) Subramanian (PMK) Jaishankar (BJP) Palanivel (BSP) Pandiyan (DMDK)  K.M. Sucharitha (YSP) Vagai Venthan…

In the 2014 general election, close to 6 lakh voters in Tamil Nadu chose ‘None of the Above’ option on the ballot machines. So all in all, the people who opted for NOTA was 1.4 per cent of the total number of votes cast. NOTA was introduced for the first time in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in last general election. The number of NOTA votes cast in Tamil Nadu just reflected the citizens frustration over the political parties and candidates. The concept of NOTA was first introduced in October 2013, following the Supreme Court’s order to the Election Commission of…