An opinion poll conducted by News 7 television channel and Tamil daily Dinamalar has given the DMK the lead in the Western districts of the state. The party, according to the poll, is poised to win 33 seats in the region as against 24 by the AIADMK.
The results of the survey released on Monday indicate that a multi-cornered contest has had among voters, with the DMDK-led third front, PMK and the BJP making a significant mark in several constituencies. The AIADMK is even likely to figure in the third place in a couple of constituencies.
The biggest surprise was in Pennagaram where PMK’s chief ministerial candidate Anbumani Ramadoss was shown to be in third spot, who is expected to win the MLA seat by a huge margin.
The DMK’s dominance in the Western region comes as a surprise given that several opinion polls in March had put the AIADMK in front. The Western districts are also normally perceived to be a stronghold of the AIADMK with the party bagging a majority of the seats in the region in 2011.
The survey, projected as the largest opinion poll in India, had a sample size of over 2 lakh with the results being released region-wise.