Sources tell Rediff.com that J Jayalalithaa will sworn in for her second term as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on May 23. The ceremony is likely to take place at the Chennai Trade Centre at Nandambakkam.

Continuing to surge ahead, ruling AIADMK was leading in 138 seats while its arch rival DMK-headed front in 81 seats, according to latest trends in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections today.


AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa was leading by over 16,000 votes in Dr RK Nagar constituency, forging ahead of her DMK rival Shimla Muthchozhan.


Finance Minister and her trusted lieutenant O Panneerselvam was leading in Bodinayakanur. DMK and its allies were ahead in 83 seats with Congress accounting for nine of them.


DMK was leading in most of the constituencies in Chennai city. PMK, which contested all 232 seats on its own, was leading in five but its Chief Ministerial candidate Anbumani Ramadoss was trailing at the third spot behind DMK and AIADMK nominees in Pennagaram segment, which falls under Dharmapuri Lok Sabha constituency won by him in the 2014 Parliament elections.


The third front of DMDK-PWF-TMC, which projected itself as an alternative to the Dravidian majors, was nowhere in the lead so far. Its Chief Ministerial candidate and actor-turned politician Vijayakant himself was trailing in the third spot in Ulundurpet with AIADMK and DMK in the first and second positions respectively.


AIADMK supporters outside the party headquarters at Lloyds Road. That's the statue of party founder MG Ramachandran/pic: S Suresh.