Tirumala Sees Moderate Footfall, Tamil Devotees Dominate Queues Amid Counting

 Tirupati: The pilgrim rush at Tirumala remained moderate on Monday, but the queues reflected a strong presence of Tamil devotees as counting of votes for the Tamil Nadu assembly elections progressed.

By 6 pm, some 12 compartments in the Vaikuntam queue complex were filled and pilgrims completed darshan of Lord Venkateswara in about five hours. Nearly 40,000 devotees had darshan by evening, indicating a lower-than-usual turnout on a politically significant day.

On Sunday, 83,091 pilgrims had darshan, while hundi collections stood at Rs 5.06 crore. In contrast, Monday witnessed a comparatively lower footfall, though the inflow remained steady from the early hours.

Ground-level observations indicated a noticeable Tamil presence, with many pilgrims discussing the election trends and results while waiting in queues.

Supporters of different political parties also including the new Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) led by actor-turned-politician Vijay were seen discussing the prospects for each party.

Several pilgrims said visiting Tirumala hills during significant moments is a long-standing practice among Tamil devotees, and many were fulfilling vows taken during the campaign period. “We have strong faith in Lord Venkateswara. Elections are important for us, so I came to pray for the success of my party, TVK, and for a change in governance," said R Suresh, a voter from Coimbatore.

Groups of young voters, many identifying themselves as first-time participants, said they had travelled overnight, hoping for a strong performance by the TVK. “We wanted to be here on counting day. I prayed for Vijay anna’s party to get a strong result", said V Pratheep from Chennai.

K Manikandan, a government employee from Tiruchirappalli, said he backed the DMK. “We trust the leadership. I prayed that the Stalin government continue and that the state remain stable," he said. Another devotee, M Selvaraj, a businessman from Salem and an AIADMK supporter, said he had taken a vow during the campaign. “We are hoping for a comeback. I came with my family to offer prayers", he said.

Meanwhile, TTD clarified that while devotees may hold personal beliefs, political expression is not permitted within the temple premises. The TTD vigilance and security personnel were deployed in adequate numbers to manage the queue lines. The flow of pilgrims remained smooth throughout the day.