VELLORE: Commanding 76% in 2021, the DMK alliance’s seat share in the northern districts of Vellore, Ranipet, Tiruvannamalai and Tirupattur dropped to 19% in the 2026 Assembly election, the results of which were announced on Monday.
The defeat of DMK veterans like Duraimurugan was part of the upset. Of the 21 constituencies in the four districts, the DMK alliance managed to win only four, a sharp drop from the 16 seats it secured in the 2021 election.In Vellore and Ranipet districts, where the DMK alliance had won seven of the nine seats in 2021, the bloc failed to open its account in 2026.
The region witnessed the defeat of several senior DMK leaders, including Ministers Duraimurugan (Katpadi) and R Gandhi (Ranipet), as well as long-time MLAs such as A P Nandakumar (Anaicut) and J L Eswarappan (Arcot). In Katpadi, Duraimurugan finished third with 62,225 votes, trailing the TVK’s M Sudhakar, who secured 69,868 votes.
In Ranipet, Gandhi lost by 5,787 votes to the TVK’s Thahira.In Tiruvannamalai district, the DMK alliance’s tally fell from six of eight seats in 2021 to just two in 2026. Sitting MLA and former minister E V Velu retained Tiruvannamalai, though he faced a stiff challenge from TVK candidate and farmer leader Arul Arumugam.
In Vandavasi, sitting MLA Ambethkumar S retained the seat, winning by a margin of 3,333 votes. Sitting MLAs K Pitchandi (Kilpennathur) and M P Giri (Chengam), however, lost to the AIADMK’s candidates.In Chengam, Giri finished third, while the AIADMK’s S Velu won the seat, winning about 17,500 more votes than him.
The TVK secured the second position. In Kilpennathur, former Assembly deputy speaker Pitchandi lost by a margin of 29,639 votes. The AIADMK emerged dominant in the district, winning five constituencies, while the TVK secured only one seat — Polur.The DMK alliance performed relatively better in Tirupattur district, winning two of the four constituencies — Vaniyambadi and Ambur — with sitting MLA Vilwanathan A C retaining his seat.
In Tirupattur constituency, two-time DMK MLA A Nallathambi, however, lost to the TVK's Thirupathi N, an AIADMK rebel. Thirupathi secured 48,263 votes more votes than Nallathambi.Meanwhile, the AIADMK improved its tally in the region to nine seats from five in 2021, although it retained only one of its sitting seats—Arani. Making a strong debut, the TVK won eight seats across the four districts.