Chennai, 21 April (H.S.):

In a statement, Prasad said the NDA — led by the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), PMK, AMMK and other allies — is heading towards a decisive mandate in the April 23 polls. He expressed confidence that AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami would emerge as Chief Minister after the results are announced.

Prasad attributed the NDA’s momentum to large crowds at rallies addressed by top leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari, across key cities such as Chennai, Madurai, Coimbatore and Tiruchirappalli.

At the same time, he criticised the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and its alliance with the Congress, alleging a lack of coordination between the partners. Referring to campaign appearances by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Prasad claimed that Gandhi did not consistently share the stage with Chief Minister M. K. Stalin during his visits.

He further alleged that Gandhi’s speeches across districts such as Tiruvallur, Ranipet, Tiruchirappalli, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli and Kanniyakumari contained limited references to Stalin, indicating internal differences within the DMK-Congress alliance.

Rejecting these claims, the DMK and its allies, including the Congress led by Mallikarjun Kharge, maintained that their alliance remains united and focused on governance and welfare.

Tamil Nadu will go to the polls in a single phase on April 23 across all 234 constituencies, with counting scheduled for May 4, in what is expected to be a direct contest between the DMK-led alliance and the AIADMK-led NDA.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman