As the Jayalalithaa-led All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) comes back to power again in Tamil Nadu, here is what Chennai-based political experts have to say on the outcome of this election.

According to Johny, a city-based political commentator, one of the main reasons for Jayalalithaa’s win is welfare measures taken by her party in the last five years, says.

Secondly, an absence of a grand alliance against the AIADMK worked greatly in favour of Jayalalithaa. “There was no widespread anger against her. In absence of an anti-incumbency wave, a strong alliance against her could have worked for Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). Also, if DMK and Vijayakanth would have joined hands, a different scenario would have been created. DMK could have put up a better show,” he says.
M Karunanidhi-led DMK’s strategy of facing the electorate with Congress crashed in this election.

“Opposition is wide split. That was a calculative move of Jayalalithaa. She watched and waited. When GK Vasan of Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) approached her for alliance, she closed the doors,” says political observer BR Haran.

Undoubtedly, money too has played a role this election, he says, adding that the election commission seized huge sums of cash and mostly AIADMK functionaries were caught distributing money to voters. “DMK too distributed money to voters. It is sad that people too have become corrupt as they accept cash from these politicians. In none of other states there is so much flow of money during elections,” mentions Haran.

However, the message is clear for DMK president that people have not forgiven him for what his party did between 2006 and 2011, he says. In 2011, the DMK suffered one of its worst poll reversals winning only 23 seats in the 234-member assembly. Karunanidhi and his son MK Stalin campaigned rigorously this election which led to a notable improvement in their performance. 

As Jayalalithaa comes back to power, she is the first Tamil Nadu politician to create history since 1984. Tamil Nadu had the peculiar habit of voting for one or the other Dravidian party in turns.
 
The state had seen regime changes for 27 years since 1989. The last time Tamil Nadu saw a ruling chief minister winning an assembly election to comeback to power was in 1984 when MG Ramachandran (MGR), Jayalalithaa’s mentor, returned to power.
Jayalalithaa’s victory this election is indeed special. When MGR returned to power, the party had an alliance with Congress. This election Jayalalithaa made it on her own.