Chennai, April 7: Yesterday Tamil Nadu witnessed 71.79 percent of the total 6.29-crore electorate exercising their franchise to elect their 16th Assembly, down by 2.47 per cent compared to the 2016 Assembly elections which recorded the third highest turnout (74.26 per cent) in the electoral history of the state.

Kallakurichi district has topped the list with a highest turnout of 78 per cent, followed by Ariyalur (77.88 per cent) and Chennai recording the lowest at 59.4 percent.

Even as the democratic ballot festival went off peacefully, the State had its own quota of intensely interesting scenes and the usual scenarios of parties leveling charges and counter-charges against one another.

Complaints of Udhayanidhi Stalin, DMK candidate of the Chepauk-Triplicane constituency, wearing his party symbol (Rising Sun) on shirt sleeves and of Kushbhu, Thousand Lights BJP candidate flaunting a party flag fluttering at her car, were filed.

In Coimbatore South, actor-politician and MNM Founder Kamal Haasan alleged parties’ issuance of tokens to voters at a booth, meant to be encashed later. While Karthikeya Sivasenapathy, DMK candidate in Thondamuthur in Coimbatore
district charged that his car was mobbed by AIADMKmen instigated by his rival candidate and minister SP Velumani, Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam’s son, and MP Ravindranath Kumar’s car was allegedly attacked in Bodinayakanur where OPS was contesting.

Episodes of stars from the tinsel world casting votes and causing some exciting moments have lent some sting to the narrative. Stylish actor Ajithkumar, caught in the midst of voters when he was about to vote at a booth in Tiruvanmiyur in Chennai, snatched a cell phone from a fan who tried to take a selfie with him, made for some exciting news going viral on social media platforms.

Hardly lagging behind was his rival actor, Vijay, who cycled all the way from his home to the polling booth in Neelangarai in Chennai, sparking various interpretations of this absolutely innocuous scene.

Social media handles were flooded with posts that went out of their way to depict Vijay as a celebrity who carries his glory quite lightly on his shoulders.(UNI)