MADURAI: The TVK tsunami, which has swept the political landscape of the state, has impacted the AIADMK harder than the DMK in the Southern region. Out of the 58 Assembly seats in the 10 southern districts, the AIADMK could not taste victory in any one of the constituencies in six districts — Madurai, Theni, Sivaganga, Ramanathapuram, Virudhunagar, and Thoothukudi.
In Dindigul, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, and Kanniyakumari districts, the total number of seats the AIADMK won has not crossed six. The debutant party also managed to restrict the DMK’s winning count in the region under 26, compared to the latter’s victory in 40 seats in 2021.
The poll results have also delivered a barrage of surprises, with DMK ministers such as Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, P Moorthy, and Geetha Jeevan losing to their respective TVK candidates. TVK dashed inside the Madurai district as their candidates won in eight out of the 10 Assembly constituencies.
The AIADMK camp suffered a huge blow, with TVK’s S R Thangapandi trouncing Sellur K Raju in Madurai West and R B Udhayakumar losing to DMK’s M Manimaran — son of former TN Assembly speaker Sedapatti R Muthiah.
In Dindigul, DMK ministers I Periasamy and R Sakkarapani won, and the TVK managed to win only in the Nilakottai constituency out of the seven seats in the district. BJP state president Nainar Nagenthran lost in Sattur, while DMDK’s Vijaya Prabhakaran lost in Virudhunagar. DMK minister K R Periakaruppan lost in Tiruppattur by one vote.
Also, TVK dominated in three other constituencies, including in Karaikudi, where Seeman lost to TVK’s T K Prabu. Seeman’s party, NTK, has not won a single seat in the two previous Assembly elections (2016 and 2021), and the trend continued in this election as well. NTK, including its chief coordinator, could only manage to secure fourth place in the constituencies.
In Kanniyakumari district, considered as the Congress/Communist belt, the TVK’s magic proved ineffective, as the DMK alliance won in three of the six seats.
In Tenkasi district, the DMK won three seats and the AIADMK secured the remaining two seats — similar to that of the 2021 election — leaving nothing for Vijay’s party. Meanwhile, the DMK’s dominance in Thoothukudi district has shrunk this election, from five seats out of the six in 2021 to three in 2026.
Similarly, TVK was unable to make a huge mark in Theni district, as DMK candidates, including O Panneerselvam, secured victory in three seats, with Vijay’s party winning in one constituency, hurting the AIADMK’s prospects.
However, the same trend did not reflect in Tirunelveli district, where the TVK has won three seats, with the DMK reduced to just one seat.
