In a stunning upset in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, M. K. Stalin lost his Kolathur seat to V. S. Babu of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), marking a major setback for the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).
Babu defeated Stalin by a margin of 9,192 votes, overturning what had long been considered a safe constituency for the DMK chief. Kolathur, created after delimitation ahead of the 2011 polls, had been represented by Stalin for three consecutive terms.
Stalin first won the seat in 2011, narrowly defeating the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam candidate Saidai Duraisamy by 2,734 votes. His victories in subsequent elections were far more comfortable, by 37,730 votes in 2016 and 70,384 in 2021, cementing Kolathur as a political bastion.
The 2026 result, however, dramatically reversed that trend.
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Babu’s victory carries a layer of political irony. Once a DMK functionary, he had been tasked with overseeing Stalin’s campaign in north Chennai during the 2011 election. Following the relatively narrow win that year, he was removed from his organisational role and later joined the AIADMK in 2016.
In February 2026, Babu switched to Vijay’s TVK, a move that now appears pivotal. His win over Stalin is being seen as one of the biggest upsets of the election and a symbolic blow to the DMK leadership.
The result also underscores the rapid rise of actor-turned-politician Vijay, whose TVK has emerged as a formidable challenger to the state’s traditional Dravidian heavyweights.
Tamil Nadu politics has long been dominated by the DMK and the AIADMK, with power alternating between the two parties for decades. The latest outcome signals a potential shift in that political landscape.
For the DMK, the defeat of its top leader in a stronghold seat adds to the party’s challenges, even as counting trends indicate significant gains for the TVK across the state.
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