CHENNAI: In a major political shift, Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has captured 14 of Chennai’s 16 Assembly seats. The ruling DMK managed to retain only two — Chepauk-Triplicane, held by Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin, and the Harbour constituency, won by P K Sekarbabu. Notably, Chief Minister M K Stalin lost his stronghold of Kolathur, a seat he had held since 2011, to TVK’s V S Babu by a margin of 9,121 votes.
While Udhayanidhi won by a margin of 7,140 votes against TVK’s D Selvam, Sekarbabu won by a margin of 11,750 votes against Sinora P S Ashok who got 33,504 votes.
Historically, Chennai has been a DMK bastion. Even during the 1957 Assembly elections — before the DMK was officially recognised as a political party — it secured 15 seats across the state, including the key Chennai constituencies of Egmore, Thousand Lights and Perambur
After gaining recognition in 1962, the DMK just secured 50 seats across the state, but managed to win five of 11 constituencies in Chennai. The party’s hold over the city strengthened in 1967 under C N Annadurai, when it won 179 seats statewide, including 10 of 12 constituencies in Chennai. In 1971, the party continued its strong run, winning 205 seats across TN and eight in Chennai.
In 1977 election, despite the rise of the AIADMK under M G Ramachandran and the DMK being reduced to 48 seats statewide, it still pocketed 13 of 14 seats in Chennai and AIADMK won only one. Similarly, in 1980 and 1984, though the DMK’s overall tally dropped, it continued to retain a majority of seats in the city with 11 and nine seats in the respective elections.
The party achieved a complete sweep in Chennai in 1989, winning all 14 constituencies. A rare reversal came in 1991, following the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in May that year before the state elections when the DMK was reduced to just two seats (Harbour and Egmore) in the city amid a sympathy wave favouring the AIADMK-Congress alliance. However, this proved temporary, as the DMK bounced back in 1996, winning 12 of the 14.
Even in later years, the pattern continued. In 2001, when the DMK won only 37 seats across Tamil Nadu, it still secured 10 constituencies in Chennai. In 2006, it retained seven of the 14 seats. The 2011 elections, which came after the 2G spectrum case involving then DMK Minister A Raja and DMK leader Kanimozhi, again saw the DMK’s numbers dip in Chennai, but the party managed to hold on two seats — Kolathur and Chepauk-Triplicane. By 2016, the party secured only 98 seats but it rebounded strongly in Chennai winning 10 of 16 constituencies. In 2021, it achieved a clean sweep, capturing all 16 constituencies.
Due to the long-standing pro-DMK trend in the capital, opposition leaders have historically avoided contesting from Chennai. Top leaders, including M G Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa, strategically chose constituencies outside Chennai for their early electoral battles.
As per EC data, TVK chief Vijay won the Perambur seat with a massive margin of 53,715 votes against DMK’s R D Shekar by securing 1.2 lakh votes. The next highest winning vote margin in the city was recorded at Dr Radhakrishnan Nagar where TVK’s N Marie Wilson won by 49,668 votes.
In Thiru-Vi-Ka Nagar, where Porkodi Armstrong was fielded by the AIADMK, TVK’s M R Pallavi won by 22,333 votes against DMK’s K S Ravichandran who stood second with 46,792 votes. In Mylapore, TVK’s P Venkataraman won by 70,070 votes. While DMK candidate D Velu came second with 41,098 votes, BJP’s Tamilisai Soundararajan stood third with 32,328 votes. In T Nagar, Villivakkam and Egmore, TVK’s N Anand, Aadhav Arjuna and Rajmohan won by a margin of 13,027, 17,302 and 10,804 votes, respectively.
Chennai suburbs too saw TVK winning with handsome vote margins such as Sriperumbudur (54,246 votes), Pallavaram (54,693), Tambaram (35,621), Kancheepuram (15,488), Tiruvottiyur (53,564), Ambattur (58,781), Avadi (76,311), and Tiruvallur by 24,760 votes. TVK candidate Munirathinam J, a disabled person, won Uthiramerur by polling 84,917 votes.
