Mother of all victories: Jaya 1st TN CM to win successive polls
The AIADMK won 134 seats in the House of 234 while archrival DMK managed only 89 plus 9 seats of allies.
Chennai: Scripting history in Tamil Nadu politics, AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa won the Assembly elections for a second consecutive time to secure her sixth term as Chief Minister of the state.
The AIADMK won 134 seats in the House of 234 (poll for 2 seats to be held on May 23) while archrival DMK managed only 89 plus 9 seats of allies although most exit polls had predicted that its 93-year-old chief M Karunanidhi would win a sixth term as Chief Minister.
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In the spectacular victory she etched now, Ms Jayalalithaa has even bettered the record set by her mentor late M G Ramachandran who had won a second consecutive term in 1984, but then his win could be credited to the huge sympathy he won from his Brooklyn hospital bed.
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On the other hand, Ms Jayalalithaa battled many odds, particularly the public disquiet caused by the rain-floods late last year, and won handsomely.
Jaya: No words to describe my gratitude to people
Overwhelmed by the “tremendous victory” scored by her party that has retained power, AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa on Thursday said there was no word in the dictionary to "express her gratitude" to the people of Tamil Nadu as she promised to strive towards fulfilling promises made in the manifesto.
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In a brief interaction with the media Ms Jayalalithaa pledged to work for the betterment of the people of Tamil Nadu till she breathes her last. “I am overwhelmed by the resounding victory of my party. I am indebted to the people of Tamil Nadu for the historic victory. It is truly historic because it is for the first time after 1984 a ruling party is coming back to power. I am indebted to the people of Tamil Nadu for giving us this tremendous victory," Ms Jayalalithaa said.
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"I said there is no word in the dictionary and I wish to express my gratitude in the form of actions of the new government. I will also strive to fulfill all promises made to people in the manifesto," the AIADMK supremo said.