He was derided as a work-from-home politician who hardly reached out to the masses. When he did hit the streets, tragedy followed, resulting in the death of 41 people in a stampede in Karur, prompting many to write his political obituary.
With the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) emerging as the single largest party, its president C Joseph Vijay on Tuesday staked claim to form the government, writing to Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar seeking an appointment.
With a close 4,569 margin over AIADMK’s incumbent MLA, A Bannari, VP Tamilselvi of TVK now represents Erode’s Bhavanisagar in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.
KA Sengottaiyan is poised to take on his 10th term as MLA, his ninth time from Gobichettipalayam constituency. A seasoned politician and nine-time MLA, Sengottaiyan had previously represented the AIADMK eight times from Gobichettipalayam and once from Sathyamangalam in 1977.
Tamil Nadu has elected TVK’s J Munirathinam as its first differently-abled MLA. He defeated DMK’s incumbent MLA K Sundar with 84,916 votes in Kancheepuram’s Uthiramerur constituency.
The alliance between S Ramadoss-led PMK and VK Sasikala’s AIPTMMK failed to win even a single seat in the Assembly elections, underscoring a sharp erosion in their political relevance. The combine, which contested 108 constituencies, saw most of its candidates lose their deposits, with no victories across regions where both parties had hoped to leverage their traditional influence.
The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, led by actor C Joseph Vijay, swept to power in the State, dealing a severe blow to the ruling DMK, particularly in its citadel Chennai, where it managed to win only two of the 16 Assembly constituencies. This marks the third time the party has been reduced to just two seats in the city since the 1991 Assembly election.
"We reached every household before we formed the party," said C Joseph Vijay in February 2024 while launching Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). On the evidence of the 2026 Assembly verdict trends, that was less a slogan and more a statement of method. In a State long anchored by the alternating dominance of the DMK and the AIADMK, TVK has forced open a third axis of power—and, on current trends, placed itself right at its centre.
The Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) completely altered the political equations in the Delta region, the Dravidian fortress, by making impressive performances in districts like Tiruchy and Karur.
The ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), widely expected to return to power for a second consecutive term, has been reduced to the second-largest party, with actor-turned-politician C Joseph Vijay-led Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) won about 108 seats, falling short of a simple majority by 10 seats.
The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam registered a decline in both vote share and seat tally in the 2026 Assembly elections, underlining a setback in its electoral performance.
As cadres hoisted a large banner over the compound wall of Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam’s (TVK) headquarters at Panaiyur, it read “Thamilaga Mudhalvar Vijay.” The moment it went up, chants followed, then whistles, louder and sharper.
In a shock, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), in its 76-year-old journey, has not witnessed anything like this: the MK Stalin-led party is losing its urban strongholds to Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), with the Chief Minister himself losing in Kolathur.
CM candidates' performance: Stalin loses, Vijay wins, Seeman loses, EPS wins
PMK’s Sowmiya Anbumani wins from Dharmapuri.
TVK supporters in Panaiyur garlanded the headquarters gate while planting the party flag amid celebrations.
M R Pallavi of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam won from the Thiru Vi Ka Nagar constituency in the 2026 Assembly elections, marking a notable victory in Chennai, while party candidate Vijay Dhamu secured a win from the Royapuram constituency.
DMK heavyweight and Information Technology Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan lost his seat in Madurai Central.
Rajan, who was seeking a third consecutive term, was defeated by Madhar Badhurudeen of Vijay’s TVK on Monday.
Badhurudeen secured the victory with a definitive margin of 19,128 votes, polling 63,414 votes against Rajan’s 44,286, according to Election Commission data.
As of 3.30 pm, TVK has won 17 seats; DMK: 9; AIADMK: 5
In the Tamil Nadu Delta region, which is considered to be the fortress of Dravidian parties, particularly, the DMK, the TVK has achieved a thumping victory. TVK Candidate R Vijay Saravanan. DMK candidate Shan Saravanan is in second place.
TVK : 36,639
BJP : 34,573
DMK: 33,049
DMK : 38,313
TVK: 35,638
AIADMK: 19,292
Though premature, claims have emerged in social media that in the event of TVK failing to get a majority, parties including the Congress, IUML (leading in 1 seat), DMDK (ahead in 2 seats) and Left may support the TVK to form the government. Some claimed that even the PMK led by Dr Anbumani Ramadoss leading in five seats may offer support.
BJP's prominent candidates, including state chief Nainar Nagenthran, former Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan and Union Minister L Murugan, are trailing behind the DMK and Vijay-led TVK candidates, respectively, in Tamil Nadu on Monday.
PMK – 17,268
TVK- 12,669
DMDK- 7,763
TVK leader KA Sengottaiyan leads in his home turf Gobichettipalayam constituency at the end of round 9
TVK: 35,880
DMK: 28,554
AIADMK: 19,435
TVK makes inroads into Coimbatore
Early trends from the assembly elections suggest that the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has made notable inroads into Coimbatore, a region traditionally regarded as a stronghold of the AIADMK.
Of the ten Assembly constituencies in the district, the AIADMK is currently leading only in Thondamuthur and Pollachi, while the DMK is ahead in Valparai, Coimbatore South, and Mettupalayam.
In Thondamuthur and Pollachi, incumbent MLAs S. P. Velumani and Pollachi V. Jayaraman are maintaining comfortable leads with significant vote margins.
In a significant development, the TVK has emerged as a strong contender, registering impressive gains across several constituencies, including Coimbatore North, Sulur, Kinathukadavu, and Kavundampalayam
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami leads by 23,837 votes in Edappadi constituency at the end of round 7.
DMK 47821
TVK 45147
KN Nehru is leading by the margin of 2674; TVK's G Ramamoorthy was leading till 10.
AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami has extended his lead to 17,766 votes in his home constituency of Edappadi, maintaining his status as the party’s most secure candidate.
In the northern belt, Maragatham Vetrivel continues to show strong momentum in Pappireddipatti with a widened margin of 19,692 votes, while C Vijayabaskar in Viralimalai has also seen his lead grow to 9,686 votes.
Other significant cushions for the party include Shanmugam C V in Mailam with 10,898 votes and Mukkur N Subramanian in Cheyyar, who now holds a lead of 10,760 votes.
Despite these strongholds, the party faces intense pressure in several key seats where margins remain dangerously slim.
The tightest contest is currently in Peravurani, where Govi Elango is leading by a mere 274 votes, followed closely by the volatility in Alangulam, where K R P Prabakaran holds a lead of just 425 votes.
In the high-altitude constituency of Yercaud, Usharani P sees her lead precarious at 359 votes, while Vijayasureshbabu in Viluppuram is managing a slim margin of 361 votes.
In the western region, former minister K C Karuppannan is also in a defensive position in Bhavani with a lead of 2,365 votes, as the AIADMK continues to navigate a highly competitive three-cornered fight across the state.
Actor-politician Vijay appears to be in waiting to create a new history in the electoral politics of Tamil Nadu with no parallels as his party, the TVK is leading in at least 106 constituencies out of the total 234 Assembly segments as counting of votes polled in the April 23 elections was on across the state.
A record wave against the ruling DMK was clear when Chief Minister M K Stalin himself trailed behind TVK's little known VS Babu in Kolathur segment here, as per EC updates. Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin was behind TVK's D Selvam in Chepauk-Thiruvalikeni, according to EC data posted on the its website.
Vijay was leading in Tiruchirappalli East and Perambur in Chennai and Aadhav Arjuna, considered No 2 in the TVK, is leading in Villivakkam.
Right from the start of the counting process --that commenced with postal ballots-- Vijay's party posted gains and when EVMs were taken up, such gains solidified and at one point of time it appeared that TVK would replace AIADMK as the main opposition party and that the DMK would retain power.
However, as the process of counting of votes picked up pace, TVK appeared to move ahead, round after round, across segments spread over all regions of the state including the Western Kongu areas where the AIADMK-BJP combine has a strong presence. If the trends continue to remain the same that favours TVK, Vijay could ensure the biggest electoral upset, something in lines with the "1967,1977" wins he had referred to in his campaign speeches.
TVK was leading in most Chennai segments, all considered DMK strongholds and currently represented by the party in the 234-member House.
Tiruchy East: Round 2 trends
TVK chief C Joseph Vijay leads by by a margin of 3299 votes in round 2.
TVK: 8254
DMK Inigo Irudhayaraj: 4955
As results for Tamil Nadu Assembly election 2026 are trickling in, the DMK is leading from 33 seats, the AIADMK from 10, and the TVK from 8, based on postal votes that are being counted.
Key among these is Tiruchy West, where the TVK candidate is leading against DMK heavyweight KN Nehru.
At Coimbatore South, DMK’s V Senthilbalaji is leading, followed by TVK. Veteran politician KA Sengottaiyan, who quit AIADMK and joined TVK, is leading from Gobichettipalayam.
- DMK candidate for Tiruchy West KN Nehru is trailing by 582 votes
- TVK leader Vijay leads in Perambur
Who will form the government in Tamil Nadu? Track the election results live with DT Next.
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From new entrants and sulking patriarchs and matriarchs to culling of names after the special intensive revision of electoral rolls, there are too many variables for any sane person to place a bet on who will win the Tamil Nadu Assembly election, the results of which will be announced today.
- If the MK Stalin-led DMK retains power, it will make history, as the party has not secured consecutive victories since 1971 – a long gap of 55 years.
- If the AIADMK-led alliance wins, it will also create history, as it would be the party’s first Assembly victory after the death of its mascot and supremo, J Jayalalithaa, and opposition leader Edappadi K Palaniswami would return as the Chief Minister, joining a stellar line-up that includes K Kamaraj, MG Ramachandran, M Karunanidhi, and Jayalalithaa to occupy the throne more than once.
- Now, if Vijay’s TVK wins, it would be an even bigger political milestone, comparable to the victory of MG Ramachandran. In fact, if that is the way the chips fall, it would be a more impactful debut, capturing power within two years of launching his party — MGR founded the AIADMK in 1972, won the Dindigul Lok Sabha bypoll the next year, and later won the Assembly election in 1977.
- Another factor is the presence of NTK and its seemingly indefatigable leader Seeman, who wears the defeats that he faced as a medal of honour. It still is a party that is far from harbouring any hopes of winning power. But in a three-corner fight like this one, even a fraction of votes that it gathers has the ability to upset the equations in select seats and thus the overall result.
- Within this war is the story of smaller but potentially important battles. PMK founder S Ramadoss, who is waging a tug-of-war with his son and party president Anbumani Ramadoss, and ousted AIADMK leader VK Sasikala have joined forces to lure Vanniyar and Thevar votes away from their parent parties. Both are aiming to teach their kin and erstwhile comrades a lesson.
- Then there is Puthiya Tamilagam leader K Krishnasamy, who hopes to eat into Pallar votes in south Tamil Nadu.
- They can play only spoilers at best, but even the smallest fractions are important for the AIADMK, as almost all votes they eat into will be from the NDA that it is leading in Tamil Nadu. On the other hand, the DMK will also have to keep an eye out for the impact that T Velmurugan would have in the northern region.
- If all these were not enough, there is the unknown element of special intensive revision. The purification of electoral rolls shortly before the election led to the removal of more than 67 lakh names.
Seats: 234
Total electors: 5,73,43,291
Votes polled: 4,88,28,832
Polling stations: 75,064
Voters turnout: 85.10%
Candidates: 4,023
Counting centres: 62
Total seizure value: Rs 543 crore
Counting day: May 4
KEY PLAYERS
(Seats in figures)
Secular Progressive Alliance:
DMK - 176
Congress – 28
DMDK – 10
VCK – 8
CPI – 5
CPM – 5
IUML - 2
National Democratic Alliance:
AIADMK - 172
BJP – 33
PMK – 18
AMMK - 11
TVK - 233
NTK - 234
VK Sasikala-led AIPTMMK - 78
S Ramadoss-led AJPK - 29
Other parties:
BSP - 160
T Velmurugan-led TAVK - 20
K Krishnasamy-led Puthiya Tamilagam – 10
TN Police warns that vehicles of those following Vijay’s convoy will be seized.
Counting day has arrived in Tamil Nadu, where a fiercely fought four-cornered Assembly election contest will now translate into numbers. With the magic number set at 118, all eyes are on early trends, especially in the absence of a clear wave. While DMK's MK Stalin seeks a rare consecutive win, AIADMK's Edappadi K Palaniswami eyes a comeback, and actor-turned-politician Vijay remains the big wildcard, today’s results will determine a historic verdict. Track every significant update with us.