COIMBATORE: Except for Thondamuthur, which was won by former minister SP Velumani with a margin of 14,725 votes, eight former AIADMK MLAs were pushed to second and third positions in the state Assembly election results announced on Monday.
In the 2021 Assembly elections, the AIADMK-BJP alliance won 10 constituencies in Coimbatore district, reflecting a strong performance even as several other parts of the state favoured the DMK. However, in the 2026 elections, the scenario has changed significantly.
Out of nine former AIADMK MLAs and one BJP MLA in the district, AIADMK candidates were pushed to third place in five constituencies — Mettupalayam, Coimbatore South, Singanallur, Kinathukadavu, and Valparai — and to second place in three constituencies — Sulur, Kavundampalayam, and Pollachi.
Meanwhile, the DMK won two seats — Coimbatore South and Valparai — while its alliance partner KMDK secured victory in Pollachi. In Pollachi, senior AIADMK leader Pollachi K Jayaraman was pushed to second place. In Valparai, another traditional AIADMK stronghold, the party slipped to third position.
The results indicate that overconfidence among sitting AIADMK MLAs may have contributed to their defeat, as they appeared to rely heavily on the party's 'Two Leaves' symbol. However, the emergence of TVK and the continued presence of DMK split the vote, with voters backing the 'Whistle' and 'Rising Sun' symbols respectively.
In Mettupalayam constituency — an AIADMK bastion for nearly 30 years — the party lost to TVK, with AIADMK candidate OK Chinnaraj finishing third with 34,328 votes. In the 2021 election, AIADMK's AK Selvaraj had won the seat by a margin of 2,456 votes, securing 1,05,231 votes, while DMK's TR Shanmugasundaram came second with 1,02,775 votes.
In Sulur, where AIADMK had held power for the last 10 years, its candidate VP Kandasamy finished second with 85,741 votes. In 2021, he had won the seat with 1,18,968 votes, defeating the KMDK candidate by a margin of 31,932 votes.
In Kavundampalayam, where AIADMK had held the seat since 2011, the party suffered a major defeat. TVK candidate Kanimozhi Santhosh won by a margin of 42,140 votes — the highest margin of defeat for AIADMK in the district in this election.
During the campaign, former BJP state president K Annamalai had expressed confidence in AIADMK candidate KR Jayaram's victory, even suggesting that extensive campaigning was unnecessary.
Following the results, K R Jayaram took to social media to thank voters and party workers. "Defeat is only a temporary obstacle and not the end. I will return and continue to work for the people," he said
