Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections 2021: Key candidates to watch out for on May 2

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New Delhi: The sixteenth legislative assembly election of Tamil Nadu was held on April 6 and the counting of votes will take place on May 2.

The main contest is between the ruling AIADMK-BJP alliance led by incumbent Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami and the DMK-Congress alliance led by MK Stalin. Other parties in the fray include Kamal Hassan's Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) and TTV Dhinakaran's Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK).

According to the exit polls, DMK is in a strong position to win the elections.

Here are the five key candidates to watch out for:

1. MK Stalin – Contesting from Kolathur yet again, the DMK Chief and former CM M. Karunanidhi’s son looks in a comfortable position to retain his seat. He has previously held the position of Deputy Chief Minister of the state from 2009 to 2011.

2. Edappadi Palaniswami  – A four-time legislator from Edappadi constituency, Palaniswami took the reins of the state in 2017 after the death of former CM J Jayalalithaa. He replaced O Panneerselvam who had resigned from the post.

3. Udhayanidhi Stalin – DMK scion Udhayanidhi is an actor and producer and has worked in several Tamil films. He currently holds the Youth Wing Secretary position in the party and is making his poll debut. He is contesting from Chepauk- Thiruvallikeni seat.

4. Kamal Haasan – Another actor-turned-politician, although a much more popular one, Kamal Haasan is contesting polls from Coimbatore South. He formed his own party, MNM, in 2018. His party had a poor showing in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, but Haasan is hoping for a better performance here.

5. TTV Dhinakaran – VK Sasikala’s nephew who formed AMMK is fighting the election from Kovilpatti seat. He was expelled from AIADMK along with his aunt in 2017. Though he won by-poll from RK Nagar seat in 2017, he has chosen to contest from Kovilpatti this time.