Kamal Haasan declared R Mahendran a traitor. (File)
Chennai:
Days after a crushing defeat in the Tamil Nadu elections, the vice president of Kamal Haasan s Makkal Needhi Maiam, R Mahendran, quit from the party on Thursday, alleging a lack of democracy in the organisation.
Calling Mr Mahendran a traitor , actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan said the former was about to be sacked from the party anyway and expressed joy that a weed has weeded itself out from the MNM.
The decision of Mr Mahendran, the party s number two ranked leader, came on a day when the MNM announced that six other senior functionaries also gave their resignations four days after Tamil Nadu elections showed the party failed to win even a single seat in the 234-seat assembly.
Here s all you need to know about the elections and early trends:
West Bengal
Trends
The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) is leading in 216 seats while Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is leading in 73 seats as per trends at 6:30 pm.
The polls
West Bengal has a total of 294 assembly seats out of which two did not go to the polls due to the death of two candidates ahead of the seventh phase. Polling in these two seats will be held on May 16.
This means that the magic figure that a party or alliance needs to achieve to form the government is 147.
Polling was spread over eight phases - the longest electoral exercise in the state s history - and the last round concluded on April 29.
(L-R) Chief ministers Mamata Banerjee, E Palaniswami, Pinarayi Vijayan and Sarbananda Sonowal
NEW DELHI: West Bengal may be headed for a hung assembly with the TMC and BJP in a fight to the finish while the MK Stalin-led DMK is set to make a triumphant return in Tamil Nadu, predicted exit polls on Thursday.
According to the exit polls, the LDF and BJP will retain power in Kerala and Assam respectively while the NDA will form the government in Puducherry.
Here s a roundup of all exit poll predictions:
West Bengal
Exit polls predicted a hung assembly in the most keenly-watched state with a tight contest between the ruling TMC and the rival BJP.
Tamil Nadu Exit Polls 2021: MK Stalin-led DMK predicted to win assembly election
Tamil Nadu Exit Polls 2021: MK Stalin-led DMK predicted to win assembly election
According to India Today-Axis My India, Today s Chanakya, Republic-CNX and P-MARQ exit polls, the MK Stalin-led DMK and allies are going to register a big win in the state. Voting for the 234-seat Tamil Nadu assembly was held on April 6 and the results will be declared on May 2. Stay tuned to TOI for all latest updates.
THE TIMES OF INDIA | Apr 30, 2021, 13:17:21 IST
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Exit polls predict big win for DMK & Left victory in Kerala
Exit polls on Thursday predicted victory for the DMK-led front in Tamil Nadu, LDF in Kerala and NDA in Assam, but disagreed on who would form the next government in Bengal. If the polls prove right, it would mean a major setback for the Congress and the AIADMK, sizeable gains for the BJP and the DMK and a mixed bag for the Left. The one state on which all the polls agr
Tamil Nadu assembly elections 2021: Exit polls | India News indiatimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from indiatimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.