Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) [India], April 23 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former state president K Annamalai on Thursday cast his vote at a polling station located in PSG College of Arts and Science in Coimbatore as polling for the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections is underway.

The BJP leader arrived to exercise his franchise amid tight security arrangements at the polling station. Voting is being held across the state with voters turning up in large numbers since morning to participate in the democratic exercise.

Earlier, the leader of Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly and AIADMK General Secretary and candidate from Edappadi constituency, Edappadi K. Palaniswami, exercised his franchise at the Panchayat Union Primary School polling station in Siluvalpalayam for the ongoing Tamil Nadu assembly elections.

Speaking with the media after casting his vote, EPS encouraged the electorate to cast their votes and exercise their democratic rights. He also exerted huge confidence in the victory of the AIADMK-BJP alliance.

'In the ongoing assembly general elections, I kindly request all the voters to go to the polling booths and exercise their democratic right. I am 100 per cent confident. The election has just begun today. Polling started this morning. Now, voters across Tamil Nadu are going to the polling booths and casting their votes. We are seeing that on television,' EPS said.

The voter turnout in Tamil Nadu was recorded at 17.69 per cent at 9 am on Thursday. Tiruppur district recorded the highest turnout with 20.38% voting, while Chennai district registered a turnout of 16.51% and Erode recorded 19.55% turnout.

Polling for the Assembly elections began in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal (Phase 1) amid tight security on Thursday. The voting will conclude at 6:00 pm today in both states.

The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly elections are being held in a single phase today, while West Bengal will witness two phases of polling in the Assembly elections 2026, with the second phase scheduled to take place on April 29. The counting of votes is scheduled for May 4.

Polling is being held for 234 Assembly constituencies across Tamil Nadu.

The main contest is expected between the DMK-led alliance, which includes the Indian National Congress, DMDK and VCK, and the National Democratic Alliance led by AIADMK with BJP and PMK as allies.

With the DMK banking on its welfare record, the AIADMK-led NDA is fighting for a comeback. (ANI)