rediff.com correspondent Ganesh Nadar, who extensively covered the elections in Tamil Nadu, had an online chat with readers on May 11 after the counting of votes in Tamil Nadu. Following is the transcript of the chat:

Kill Bill: Is it fair enuf ,only two parties rule TN
Ganesh Nadar : The Congress ruled Tamil Nadu. Then the DMK and the ADMK. Now its going to be DMK, Congress, Communists, Muslim league and PMk

Jayarman : Sir, do you think the humiliation meted out to the Shankaracharyas had an impact on Jaya's fortunes
Ganesh Nadar : no in fact Jayalalitha won the by elections in Kancheepuram after the arrests

Mohan : Most Interesting Question: How did the people of TN Respond to the THIRD NEW Option in several years - CAPTAIN VIJAYAKANTH, What was the percentage of VOTES DMDK get?
Ganesh Nadar : Captain got the votes of those who were fed up with both the Dravidian parties. as this has been a very closely contested election, his votes did make a difference. he got votes meant for the ADMK and thus was a factor in the DMK winning

sathya : cant understand one thing here. jaya has overtaken the big alliance and has presented herself with better results. the poll percentage is not too different. in this case why this much fuss as big victory for DPA? also the margins have been very close in lot of places. wy no comment on it
Ganesh Nadar : whoever forms the Government is the victor. No one worries about the margin

Prem : How does M.K Stalin figure in the new scenario in TN?
Ganesh Nadar : MK Stalin is he heir apparent of the DMK. The big question now is whether he is the heir of the coalition.

Natraj : What, in your opinion, would beat the anti incumbency factor? This has been happening regularly!
Ganesh Nadar : the anti incumbency factor can be beaten by good governance. ask the CPM in West Bengal

ammagone : tn is a state of fool people. they vote for filmstar, tv, rs 2 /kg rice etc.
Ganesh Nadar : Given a choice between a politician and a film star most people would choose a film star

suresh : what do you think of putting jaya amma behind bars ,would it be the first thing for the DMKS?
Ganesh Nadar : they will not. last time that was the reason she won in 2001

premas : Sir, Do you think people voted against CM J for a change of governance or were really attracted towards the manifesto of the Dpa...I honestly think J did very well in almost all the fronts..
Ganesh Nadar : Change of governance is right

freekybuddy : Was there any impact by the Lok Paritan contestants in a Dravidian dominated politics in TN?
Ganesh Nadar : sadly no

indians : there is no BJP in TN * Darshith
Ganesh Nadar : does that make you sad or happy

oorkaaran : I hate DMK giving life to Congress again & again. DMK could have done it alone in TN. Anyway it is politics.
Ganesh Nadar : alone the DMK might have not won my friend

Siva : What will be the FILM artist and actress fate who were supporting ADMK
Ganesh Nadar : Nothing will happen to them. they can change their roles at any time. we all know that they are actors

Varghese : Do you feel, the fist step taken place for coaliation government in Tamil Nadu now & future.
Ganesh Nadar : its the first step. but i think next time the Dravidian parties will contest in more seats to avoid this

Paamaran : What should V'kanth do next? How can he consolidate this decent start to his political career?
Ganesh Nadar : he can look after his constituency properly and be patient

SGURURAJ : Don't you think that Mr.Karunanidhi,should not indulge in vendetta politics this time and try to make tamilnadu an IT superpower
Ganesh Nadar : i agreew with you. there should be no vendetta

priya : what is to be postion of shankaracharya's case after election won by DMK
Ganesh Nadar : the law will take its own course.

WinnerLoser : I dont think Dr.KK will be the CM for long, he will step down within 1 year and ask his Son Stalin or will he be back stabbed by Daya Night maran and we will have one more CM soon in an year? what is your view?
Ganesh Nadar : a coalition that listens to Karunanidhi will not neccessarily listen to Stalin or Dayanidhi

Mahesh : Chennai's fort dmk is clearly broken by admk and in some parts o chennai wining ratio for dmk is marginal ,wat does this shows
Ganesh Nadar : this shows that this was a closely contested election

Darshit : I think people are slowly awaken to right govt. its no longer only DMK or ADMK its all about mixing the right govt for better development and in future DMK can watch their end as Karunanidhi is aged man and will opt out in next election which will show new party like congress,DMDK,BJP taking active parts in election... what do you say
Ganesh Nadar : the more the merrier

krishnalikeyou : I think people got overawed by color television promise.Still jayalalithaa did reasonably well. do you vijayakanth's entry made lot of difference?
Ganesh Nadar : he is one of the reasons the DMK won

kader : whats the role or status of vijakanth after the results?
Ganesh Nadar : he is a MLA actor

indian : but DMK has got 103...so 2 to 3 ministers ll be from Cong thats it
Ganesh Nadar : only if the Congress high command allows them to join the Government

WinnerLoser : I want to highlight that DMK is not in a strong position, it has to depend on its allies, DMK has to depend on Congress now, so it cannot black mail congress now. Do you agree?
Ganesh Nadar : they need each other in the state and center

freekybuddy : Even though the AIADMK led govt practised cautious measures during the 01-06 period, why this change in people's mind?
Ganesh Nadar : public memory is appparently longer

Arun : Will Coalation government work out in TN?
Ganesh Nadar : it will work because one of the parties i.e. the DMK has many more MLAs than its allies

UMESH : DMK HAS GIVEN THE LIFE TO CONGRESS?
Ganesh Nadar : if not the DMK the ADMK would have

Captain : Atleast Captain could win in 1 seat... But he has formed a base in each constituency by bagging from 4 to 35 % votes... What exactly is the % of votes got by DMDK in total in TN ??
Ganesh Nadar : we will know only after all the results come in

Darshit : well DMK has felt the shocks that now its not one party sweeping the polls
Ganesh Nadar : the DMK never contested enough seats. Karunanidhi was prepared for a coalition government

Amar : If All The Paries except DMK Join with ADMK then they get the required numbers. Do you think this will happen?
Ganesh Nadar : no that cannot happen. The Congress needs the DMK in the center. they dare not

akarasi : Hi. Do you think the current change in govt is any way good to the future of TamilNadu when there were lot of reports on misuse of power by DMK ministers?
Ganesh Nadar : we hope the conscience keepers of the nation the communists to keep corruption in check

suriakumar : I am having a doubt the whether the coalation government stable in TN if it comes to power ?. Whether the Communist will continue if the Assurance given in the DMK manifesto is not implemented ?
Ganesh Nadar : the communists will not rock the boat. they will make noise

KRISHNAN : By giving a colour TV to his vote bank, is not the DMK Chief misusing public money? Colour TV is definitely not a necessity. Instead he could have assured removal of poverty and eradication of unemployment problem or finding a solution to the ever growing water problem. Nobody talked about these problems.
Ganesh Nadar : remvoing poverty has not been possible in 60 years. givnig a colour tv is far easier

Venkat : What is the next step of Lok Paritan after this election ?
Ganesh Nadar : they could try social work

Venu : Will Karunanidhi govt ask center to subsidise the cost of TV or will it directly import 14 " TV from china which cost probably not more than Rs 2500.
Ganesh Nadar : the cheapest set possible but it should work

sadhana : VAIKO has done great damage to himself & to his parties ...as of now its a questions ?!!
Ganesh Nadar : dont worry about Vaiko. I as sure he will think of a good answer. he is a good orator

hg : Do u think that Dr.KK will ignore IT corroridor project as its intiated by amma..???
Ganesh Nadar : he will not but he might change its name

sreeram : I think people did not take JJ's reactive freebie promise kindly and hence the reults. What's ur take?
Ganesh Nadar : reactive was wrong. and freebies is only one side of the story. there are other factors too

Ravi : Mr Karunanidhi says he would consult his alliance party leaders before deciding whether it would be single party rule or coalition rule. What does that mean?
Ganesh Nadar : he is asking whether they will join his government or will they support him from outside.

loser : PMK is one dabba party, which I can never agree to be genuinely concerned. Last night I saw these fellows veeramani and ramadoss comment badly about the IITs for reservation and so on. Veeramani and periyar are always anti hindu, can they talk ill of christians/muslims ?
Ganesh Nadar : they are not anti hindu. they are pro reservation

sivk : What will happen to the private Cable operators in Tamilnadu?
Ganesh Nadar : they too will enjoy coalition politics

Murugappan : What do you think was the main reason for victory for DMK Led Alliance, is it bad governance from AIADMK, Or DMK's manifesto of giving Colour TV's & Rice @ Rs.2/-, despite the fact that Jayalalitha didn't do badly with governance like handling Tsunami Relif's etc?
Ganesh Nadar : the main reason is that people like a change

Yuva : DO u think KK will be the CM for the full term?
Ganesh Nadar : i hope so

Frank : Mr Ganesh. I followed the election coverage on Jaya TV. I am now of the impression that Jayalalitha is going to be CM again. Can you update me on the actual status now?
Ganesh Nadar : Karunanidhi is going to be the CM

Irfan : Though DMK front has won, still it is not likely to have its majority of its own So do u think DMK has taken risk by giving so many seats to allies?
Ganesh Nadar : that might be the reason it won. the allies worked harder

myindia_raj : Jaya will strike back
Ganesh Nadar : definitely

amalraj : Will Vailko have a vioce for the Tamils in the future after this shameful event?
Ganesh Nadar : Vaiko will always have a voice. this is just one more election for him

manjul : what would be the net effect on central government as far as this election is concern?
Ganesh Nadar : the communists, dmk and pmk will be more aggressive

Rajas : So..indirectly,we ,the taxpayesr will be sponsering for the color tv's and towards the 15,000 promised for marriage for below PL people..What do you say?
Ganesh Nadar : right

VISWANATHAN : INSPITE OF ELECTION COMMISION MONEY POWER PLAYED
Ganesh Nadar : both sides

ananya : will congress insist on joining having Ministers in the State Govt. or will the High command ride rough shod over the state demands keeping the centre in mind?
Ganesh Nadar : the high command will keep the center in mind

Jayakaran : Jaya will strike back within a year with a strategy to unseat the new Govt. What's ur view
Ganesh Nadar : next lok sabha elections unless the coalition partners do something funny

ramya : Does Vijaykanth have any future in TN politics in years to come?
Ganesh Nadar : yes if he persists

ammagone : stalin is a dictator dont u think so
Ganesh Nadar : I never think of stalin

Jagee : What will be the reaction of ms Jayalalitha. It seems she is not showing her face.
Ganesh Nadar : she will sulk and then come back with a vengeance

kumaran : will we c a better TN here after
Ganesh Nadar : change is always for the better

t_ananda : will colation govt will sucess ful in tamilnadu
Ganesh Nadar : they will stick together. they already have practise at the center

Frank : Hey did anyone see jaya tv today morning. it was like watching a comedy program
Ganesh Nadar : last time sun tv did the same

vijayanand : how do u expect assembly sessions to be, with Karunanidhi and Jaya facing each other...and also with Vijayakanth there with his statistical speeches?
Ganesh Nadar : should be entertaining

Jayakar : Hello Mr.Ganesh Do you think DMK will rule for a full term ??
Ganesh Nadar : yes

SK : What do you think would be the fortune of PMK / Congress? Do you think it is a good idea for them to participate on the coalition govt in TN? What are the pros and cons of a coalition govt in TN?
Ganesh Nadar : thats the only way they can participate at present. neither can win the state by itself. the pros are more. there will be more checks and balances

GIRI : Why do u think Lok Paritran wasnt able to make it to the top?
Ganesh Nadar : they need to be around for the next four elections

rajeev : What action will be taken On Vaiko by Karunanidhu. Does he force Central Goverment to remove the MDMK folks from ministry.
Ganesh Nadar : at the moment Karunanidhi is so happy. he might even forgive Vaiko

prema : Sir..Honestly did you expect this turn of results?
Ganesh Nadar : no

t_ananda : what sarath kumar has done for dadars he left the party becoz of him own personal reasons
Ganesh Nadar : i am sure you mean nadars

loser : why are the Maran's dominating the show, I can stand M K Stalin, but the Maran's are the big rats.
Ganesh Nadar : they have their own TV channel

Appadiya : I believe coalition politics has come to stay in tamil nadu.. Coalition politics is a macronomical vision of real democracy! I hope it will go down to micromical spread of democracy upto village panchayat levels.. !!
Ganesh Nadar : that would be very good for the people

john : sir my question is ... shld captain remins the same or shld he join his hands with some other party. if he didnt join with othrs, then how will be his future and in the next elections
Ganesh Nadar : lets wait for the next elections before deciding that

Ramakrishnan : Do you think that this time DMK will give a good government
Ganesh Nadar : they will do their best

amalraj : Where is Sarathkumar and Rathica the adopted couples of Jeyalalitha?
Ganesh Nadar : they will survive dont worry

Ravi : Why did DMK lose 4 seats in Chennai, which is considered as DMK's bastion? Even Prof. K. Anbazhagan, its General Secretary, could only scrape through with 4oo+ votes in Park Town. But, DMK has done exceedingly well in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu. Any particular reason for this change of scenerio?
Ganesh Nadar : some votes they lost cause people were not able to watch cricket on Ten sports. in the south caste equations helped them

ramnath : As usual Alliance arithmetic has won
Ganesh Nadar : yes

shine : Stalin in all his pre election campaigning kept saying that he is not interested in the CM's post. So then agfter Karunanidhi who from DMK will be the CM?
Ganesh Nadar : that the coalition has to decide or atleast accept

ShankarRam : Does vijayakant's entry into the political fray have disturbed the old dravidian parties ?
Ganesh Nadar : yes

vpr : How "Jaya"( meaning success)was made defeat?
Ganesh Nadar : guess lalitha doesnt mean that

razackmd : South indian people like free culture best, it is successful in A.P and now in tamilnadu.is it correct as per the results
Ganesh Nadar : they also like film stars

loser : we atleast made S Ve Shekar win in Mylapore, from where I come from. He's a much better candidate than Napolean
Ganesh Nadar : he is certainly funnier than napolean

VISWANATHAN : REALLY PEOPLE ARE VOTING FOR GROWTH OR CHANGE
Ganesh Nadar : change

suresh : mr nadar ,iwas watching GIRI a movie,vijay acted as giri in the movie ,i was surprise to see the kind of rowdism,extortion etc,my question for u is was it happend during amma or karunanidhi tenure kindly let me know also is it true that chennai has more rowdi sheeters than any city in south.
Ganesh Nadar : sir all cities have their bad elements, irrespective of the Government

freekybuddy : Wanted to know from long, how successful have the coalition governments been in India with the fear of someone pulling the chair from below always? Have they been bold enough to take any step they consider right?
Ganesh Nadar : boldness is not there

Ramaswamy Sundharalingam : And vijayakanth to be a cheif minister
Ganesh Nadar : a few years down the line

new : why people of TN belives in a rotation theory?
Ganesh Nadar : neighbourly idea

myindia_raj : industrial development is not with DMK,neither it cant stop those develpment also..India fame is Grwoing Crazy in the world market.So as long as TN reamin in India industrial development will be excelent.
Ganesh Nadar : it will remain dont worry

ksb : what do u think abt. the fate of lok pritan and actor vijayakant? will they prove something in the next elections (if people want a complete change)?
Ganesh Nadar : they longer they are around the better their impact.

Paamaran : Has the DMK bought the Junior Vikatan? Is it true?
Ganesh Nadar : no

Alphaeus : how do you react to the votes of Nadars in the southern districts and the fate of Sarathkumar
Ganesh Nadar : sarath kumars fan club went with him. not the nadars

Ramaswamy Sundharalingam : I want vijayakanth be a opposition leader...
Ganesh Nadar : he is in the opposition and he is the leader of his party

Paamaran : What do you attribute the Congress' good show to?
Ganesh Nadar : keeping the right company

rag : Is Jaya going to be framed in any Scandal
Ganesh Nadar : no

yousuf : For the first time there will be coalition government in tamil nadu, In some way is it useful for country? Because they can't pull of UPA, if they do so there govt. will also fall in state? Is it a good sign for center govt.?
Ganesh Nadar : very good

cowboy : what jayalalitha feeling now in her sruthavoor bungalow
Ganesh Nadar : sad

razackmd : is mr karunanidhi followed rajasekhara reddy for frees lke electricity, free water, crores of free schemes where as chandrababu and jayalalitha are diciplined and strict in spending govt money, is now a days people want free money with out effort, is it the trend of modern indian society?
Ganesh Nadar : no its not a trend of modern india. but the poor do like things that they cannot afford

Makkal : Ganesh....do you think DMK will give minister post to PMK.....??
Ganesh Nadar : they will have to

Darshit : There will be another re-election or change of govt. as coliation govt. doesn't stay much in team, all are selfish and this may result in change?
Ganesh Nadar : the very selfishness will keep them together

rajesh : do u think it rajnikant would have made an impact if he supported admk?
Ganesh Nadar : no rajnikant did the wisest thing by keeping quiet

amalraj : What will be the next move of Vaiko in the political field?
Ganesh Nadar : he will be happy with the seats in the assembly. its a first time for MDMK MLA s

Jayarman : Sir, I think Sonia, P. Chidambaram and Moanmohan Singh's campaigning and the fact that 12 ministers are from TN in Centre did the trick
Ganesh Nadar : more negative votes than positive

pradeep : I saw V Maithreyan say amma will be the cm and admk will form a govt of its own at about 10 noon today in NDTV!! Thats optimism for you
Ganesh Nadar : very optimistic

watchdog : does captain have any chance of staying in politics in the long run?
Ganesh Nadar : he has the chance. what he needs is patience

myindia_raj : I feel that Madam Jayalalitha is a very good leader,to Manage a growing state like Tamil Nadu her leadership qualties was needed for the next few years also.However she has missed to reatain the power.So its time for her to sit in the opposition seat and see how the new goverment is going to work..
Ganesh Nadar : like Napolean said 'I will be back'

srini : srini says, Apart from all freebies and anti incumbency factors, etc., do you think caste politics helped DMK to win this Assembly segment ?
Ganesh Nadar : caste equations are played by both parties

karthik : Do you think captain has achieved his objectives for the time being?
Ganesh Nadar : yes

vargheese : I would like to say DMK has planned very intelligently since beginning ie from their victory to lok sabha, all possible strategies have been planned and worked out and applied once election declared whereas the amma was in the past memories of here achievements, finally it ended like hare and tortoise race, am I correct
Ganesh Nadar : correct

Balaji : Do you think karunanidhi really won the election? Compare the 6 party alliance of DMK with 2 part alliance of ADMK
Ganesh Nadar : its a victory. it doesnt matter 6 party or 2. thank you for your interesting questions. was fun answering you. bye take care folks

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