BJP’s former Tamil Nadu state president K. Annamalai cast his vote in the Coimbatore (Goundampalayam) Assembly constituency on Wednesday and later spoke to reporters about the polling process.
Responding to questions on why he arrived in a white shirt and khaki pants, Annamalai said he chose the attire deliberately and remarked that actor Vijay also dresses in a similar manner.
He appealed to voters across Tamil Nadu to turn out in large numbers and vote according to their conscience, even if the afternoon heat is harsh. Citing voter data, he said the state has about 5.60 crore voters, including 1.30 crore voters under 29 and around 17 lakh first-time voters.
Annamalai said elections in Tamil Nadu are generally conducted peacefully and noted reports that about 84,000 police personnel have been deployed. However, he alleged that incidents such as distribution of cash in Coimbatore and gold and silver in Karur have affected election work.
He also criticised what he described as inadequate bus services from Chennai to southern districts during the election period, saying the Election Commission could have coordinated better with the transport department and issued clearer guidelines to ensure voters can travel to vote. He further claimed that the SIR exercise could raise overall turnout by about 2 to 2.5 percentage points and urged stronger pre-poll monitoring to curb money distribution.
