GUWAHATI: In a rare feat for a debutant, the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has emerged as the single largest party in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, winning 108 of the 234 seats, according to results released by the Election Commission of India (ECI). The party fell short of the 118-seat majority mark, resulting in a hung Assembly and setting the stage for post-poll alliance negotiations.
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In a major political development, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin was defeated in the Kolathur Assembly constituency by TVK candidate V.S. Babu. Stalin, who has represented Kolathur since 2011, becomes the fourth sitting Chief Minister in Tamil Nadu to lose an Assembly election.
V.S. Babu, a former DMK functionary who later joined the AIADMK before switching to TVK ahead of the polls, secured a decisive victory in the high-profile contest. His win is being seen as one of the most significant outcomes of the election.
Actor-politician C. Joseph Vijay of TVK also registered notable victories in key constituencies. In Perambur, he secured 1,20,365 votes, defeating DMK candidate R.D. Shekar, who polled 66,650 votes, with a margin of 53,715 votes. In Tiruchirappalli (East), Vijay won 91,381 votes against DMK’s S. Inigo Irudayaraj, who received 63,965 votes, winning by 27,416 votes.
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) finished with 59 seats, while the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) secured 47 seats, placing them second and third respectively.
Among other parties, the Indian National Congress (INC) won 5 seats, the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) secured 4, while the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Communist Party of India (CPI), Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), and Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) won 2 seats each.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), and Amma Makkal Munnettra Kazhagam (AMMKMNKZ) secured one seat each.