TIRUCHY: In a major upset in the Delta region, long considered a stronghold of the DMK, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has secured 12 Assembly seats, many of them won by first-time, grassroots candidates with modest backgrounds. The party’s surge includes six seats in Tiruchy district, the home turf of DMK heavyweight KN Nehru.
The Delta belt, comprising 41 Assembly segments, has traditionally favoured the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-led alliance. In 2021, the DMK combine won 37 seats, leaving just four to the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. Going into the 2026 polls, DMK leaders had expressed confidence of sweeping the region again. However, TVK’s unexpected performance disrupted that dominance, emerging as a key spoiler.
Despite the DMK alliance retaining a lead with 21 seats (15 by DMK), party functionaries are grappling with how TVK managed to penetrate its stronghold. The AIADMK alliance, meanwhile, improved its tally to eight seats.
A striking feature of TVK’s victory is its unconventional candidate selection. In Srirangam, the party fielded 31-year-old Ramesh, an IT professional from Chengalpattu and a close aide of party president Vijay. Despite being an outsider, Ramesh defeated strong candidates from both DMK and AIADMK.
In Manapparai, R Kathiravan (33), who runs a small eatery and is a long-time fan of Vijay, clinched victory. In the reserved Thuraiyur constituency, M Ravisankar, from an agricultural family and a functionary of the Vijay Makkal Iyakkam, also won comfortably.
Similarly, in Perambalur (reserved), K Sivakumar, an operator at a local theatre and the son of agricultural labourers, secured victory through an intensive grassroots campaign despite limited financial resources.
In Aranthangi, J Mohammed Farvas, a former municipal councillor associated with the Vijay Makkal Iyakkam, translated his local political experience into an Assembly win.
TVK: 12
DMK alliance: 21
AIADMK alliance: 8