CHENNAI: Actor-turned-politician C Joseph Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has pulled off a stunning electoral debut by winning 108 of 234 Assembly seats, emerging as the single largest party in the results declared on Monday.
Vijay secured a double bonanza, winning both the Perambur and Tiruchy (East) seats that he contested by a margin of 53,715 and 27,416 votes, respectively. The verdict has ended the seven decades of Dravidian duopoly, with the debutant pushing the ruling DMK to second place. The DMK has won 59 seats on its own, and the Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) led by it has emerged victorious in 73 seats.
AIADMK, the principal opposition, has been relegated to the third spot with 47 seats on its own and the NDA bloc led by it winning 53 seats. By securing 34.91% vote-share in a four-cornered fight, Vijay has surpassed the 30.4% votes secured by MG Ramachandran, the founder of AIADMK, in the party’s first Assembly election in Tamil Nadu in 1977.
TVK’s performance has cut across regions and voter demographics, breaching constituencies that have been DMK and AIADMK bastions for decades. In Chennai, for instance, the party won 14 of 16 seats, with DMK president and Chief Minister MK Stalin losing to TVK’s VS Babu in Kolathur.
Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin managed to retain his Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni constituency by a slim margin of 7,140 votes. AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami has retained his Edappadi seat in Salem.
The new party’s victory is perceived as a systemic dismantling of Tamil Nadu’s long-standing hegemony of Dravidian majors.Voters have embraced the mega star’s promise of clean and efficient governance, signalling their desire to end corruption, dynastic politics, and entrenched power structures across the state.
A silent anti-incumbency wave seemed to have swept the actor-politician closer to a decisive mandate, but the party is still 10 seats short of a majority. The hung Assembly, a first for the state, has sparked reactions from early suitors – Congress, VCK and Left parties – who may be willing to support TVK from the outside to keep BJP at bay.
DMK will function as an exemplary oppn: Stalin
DMK allies Congress, VCK, CPI, CPM and DMDK together have won about 12 seats. VCK-led by Thol Thirumavalavan, which has won two of eight seats it had contested, is looking at the scenario closely. “Since Vijay has declared BJP as his party’s ideological enemy, we are considering backing him to form a government. However, the leadership will take a final call,” a VCK source said.
Meanwhile, AICC in-charge Girish Chodankar is believed to have submitted a report on the election results to the party leadership and the party high command may take a call on the probable post-poll alliance with TVK. “People have voted for a change, especially youngsters and women have moved towards TVK and that’s why TVK is getting such large numbers. I have submitted a report to party leadership and they will take a call soon,” Girish told the media.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a post on X said that he spoke to Vijay over a call and congratulated him on TVK’s victory. “This mandate reflects the rising voice of youth which cannot and will not be ignored,” he said in a post on X, adding that the party will continue to protect and serve the people of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
Similarly, CPM sources too said that the party’s executive committee meeting will consider extending support to TVK to form the government. “With the results now out, it’s proven that the party enjoys the support of the people and they have emerged as a single largest party.
It is the democratic duty of the secular forces to back him before the communal forces pressurise him. We will discuss the scenario and will take a call in the coming days,” a source in CPM told TNIE.
Meanwhile, a TVK functionary said that they have not taken a call on seeking the support of the political parties. “We are analysing the election results. We will convene a meeting with all our candidates soon and then will take a call on seeking the support from the parties,” the TVK functionary said on condition of anonymity. Stalin visited the party’s headquarters Anna Arivalayam on Monday evening and held a brief discussion with party functionaries.
Accepting the people’s mandate, he said in a post on ‘X’, “I have seen great victories; I have also faced defeats. The DMK, which has so far functioned as an exemplary ruling party, will henceforth function as an exemplary opposition party.”
Guv may ask Vijay to prove majority
As the TVK has emerged as the single largest party, Vijay is expected to meet Governor Rajendra Arlekar and stake claim to form the govt. The governor may set a deadline to prove majority
