Jayalalithaa defeats exit polls and opposition

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose party had dubbed Jayalalithaa corrupt during the election campaign, promptly congratulated her. More than the DMK-Congress defeat was the washout of a six-party alliance led by actor-turned-politician and chief ministerial hopeful A. Vijaykanth who himself finished third in his constituency Ulundurpettai.The CPI and MDMK -- part of the six-party grouping -- blamed their defeat on the "money power" unleashed by the AIADMK and the DMK.