On Friday, by 10 a.m., when televisions channels starting beaming the first set of counting results, it was breathing a fresh lease of life into AIADMK cadre who witnessed a glimpse of their party’s thumping victory.
Then they all came out in large numbers and the celebrations began. Passersby were surprised to see a shamiana come up on the main entry point to Chetpet — School Road. Soon after, two speakers started blaring popular MGR songs, as AIADMK flags soared high.
Similar shamianas sprung up in different parts of the city with men in whites and women clad in saris with twin leaves greeting people and sharing their joy with smiles and sweets.
Motorists in some localities in south Chennai, including Saidapet, Adyar and Thoraipakkam, were intercepted by cadre who treated them with ladoos. Some parts also saw cadre distributing buttermilk and toffees from Friday afternoon.
With channels broadcasting news that AIADMK was leading in 37 of the 39 Tamil Nadu constituencies, spirits rose. Cadre armed with flags and large, plastic models of the twin leaves rode around the city in autorickshaws and motorcycles. Some cadre circled the Gopalapuram area, celebrating outside the residence of the DMK patriarch. The city police soon dispatched a team to the location to avoid any untoward incidents.
The festivities spread across the city, escalated in the afternoon and reached a climax after dark when the results for the central, north and south constituencies finally came out. The curtain on the festivities finally fell on Sardar Patil Road, Adyar, where partymen distributed sweets to passengers on MTC buses.
