India braces itself for the Lok Sabha elections, which will test the time in seven phases from April 19 to June 1. Results should be by June 4. Constituting the lower house with 39 seats, the entire state of Tamil Nadu would go into a single phase on April 19. The state looks at a fierce three-way contest within the DMK-Congress combine, AIADMK, and the BJP-led NDA.

In the 2019 elections, the DMK-led alliance made an unprecedented sweep, winning 38 out of 39 seats, buoying the UPA's national status. This success, ever since, has been a piece of hubris and a call for the DMK and its allies. In such intensity, the BJP is up for driving a wedge within the never-before dominance of the DMK under the leadership of K. Annamalai.

Thoothukudi, the DMK's fort, in 2019 saw the victory of Kanimozhi over Tamilisai Soundararajan of the BJP. And this time around, yet another entry from DMK is seen. A Raja secured Nilgiris for DMK in 2019. This time around, he is pitted against Union Minister L. Murugan. Traditionally, AIADMK territory in Coimbatore brings the tough battle of BJP's K Annamalai against AIADMK's Singai G Ramachandran and DMK's Ganapathi.

The town is at the heart of industrial importance. Post-delimitation, it is now part of the Sriperumbudur Lok Sabha constituency. TR Baalu from DMK won the seat in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. He seeks re-election. His son won the Sivagangai constituency in 2019, once held by senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram. People of TamilNadu have to wait and see how these candidates are going to serve their constituents.