Jayalalithaa defeats exit polls and opposition

"The AIADMK and DMK bribed the voters on a large scale," MDMK leader Vaiko said. "It was the money power that won in the 2016 assembly elections." Added Communist leader R. Mutharasan: "We tried to form a third front but were not able to fight the money power." None of this made any difference to the tens of thousands of AIADMK supporters, including a large number of women, who celebrated the party's victory outside Jayalalithaa's residence and all across the state.