CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin was defeated in the Kolathur constituency, becoming the second sitting Chief Minister, after J Jayalalithaa, to face defeat in an election.
Stalin lost to VS Babu of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), a former DMK functionary who later shifted political affiliations.
The last instance of a sitting Chief Minister losing an election was in 1996, when Jayalalithaa was defeated in the Bargur constituency by DMK candidate EG Sugavanam.
Stalin's electoral journey has seen both victories and setbacks. He first contested in 1984 from Thousand Lights and lost to an AIADMK candidate.
He went on to win from the same constituency in 1989, but faced defeat again in 1991. Subsequently, he secured three consecutive victories from Thousand Lights, between 1996 and 2006.
Following delimitation, Stalin shifted his constituency to Kolathur in 2011 and won successive elections in 2011, 2016 and 2021. However, this election, despite contesting from Kolathur for the fourth time, he was defeated.
Apart from electoral politics, Stalin has held key administrative roles. He served as Chennai's first elected Mayor in 1996 and implemented the ‘Singara Chennai’ initiative. He later became the minister for Rural Development and Local Administration in 2006.
After the demise of his father M Karunanidhi in 2018, Stalin assumed the leadership of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). The party returned to power in 2021, and he became the chief minister.
Interestingly, Karunanidhi had a remarkable electoral record, winning all the elections he contested over a political career spanning more than seven decades.