Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], April 23 (ANI): Veteran actor Sivakumar cast his vote at a polling station in Chennai on Thursday as polling for the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections are underway.

After casting hsi vote, he spoke to the media and made a strong appeal that whichever party forms the government must prioritise the abolition of the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Limited (TASMAC).

Sivakumar said, 'Whichever party forms the government must prioritise the abolition of Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Limited (TASMAC). No administration should pursue policies that endanger the lives and futures of the state's youth. It is unacceptable for those in governance to amass crores of rupees while in power...'

Meanwhile, polling for the Assembly elections began in Tamil Nadu amid tight security on Thursday. The voting will conclude at 6:00 pm today.The counting of votes is scheduled for May 4.Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Archana Patnaik said that the state's electorate comprises over 5.73 crore voters, featuring 2,93,04,905 female voters, 2,80,30,658 male voters, and 7,728 third-gender voters.The poll body is also catering to 14,59,039 first-time voters and 68,501 service voters, with 4,18,541 postal votes already received.

Furthermore, 62 counting centres have already been established to ensure a smooth process after the high-stakes voting concludes.The main contest is expected between the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance, which includes the Congress, DMDK and VCK, and the National Democratic Alliance led by AIADMK with BJP and PMK as allies.

With the DMK banking on its Dravidian 2.0 model, the AIADMK-led NDA is fighting for a comeback. Actor-turned-politician Vijay is also set to make his electoral debut with his party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), which could turn the contest into a three-way fight. (ANI)