Chennai: Polling in 234 Assembly seats in Tamil Nadu went underway at 7 am Tuesday.
A total of 3998 candidates including heavyweights like Chief Minister K Palaniswami, deputy CM O Panneerselvam, DMK President M K Stalin, AMMK founder TTV Dhinakaran and Makkal Needhi Maiam President Kamal Haasan are in the fray.
The Election Commission will be conducting the polls with due covid-19 health protocols such as checking the temperature of voters.
People started lining up early in the morning eagerly to cast their votes. Actors Rajinikanth and Ajith Kumar were among the early voters in the city.
While the ruling AIADMK is seeking a third term, Stalin-led DMK is making a strong bid to come back to power after a decade of stint in opposition.
Polling also began in neighboring Puducherry this morning.