Actor-turned-politician Vijay scripted a historic political debut on Monday as his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) surged past the 100-seat mark in Tamil Nadu, emerging as the single-largest party and reshaping the state’s entrenched Dravidian political order.
According to Election Commission of India (ECI) trends and live updates till late evening, TVK was leading in over 100 of the 234 Assembly constituencies, placing it within striking distance of the majority mark of 118.
The ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), led by Chief Minister M K Stalin, slipped to a distant third position in several phases of counting, while the AIADMK occupied second place for much of the day.
In a major upset, Stalin lost his long-held Kolathur bastion, underlining the scale of the anti-incumbency wave sweeping the state. His son, Udhayanidhi Stalin, was also trailing in Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni during key counting rounds.
Vijay himself secured victory from Perambur, defeating his DMK rival, while several TVK candidates registered convincing wins across constituencies. Notably, R Sabarinathan, the son of Vijay’s driver, won Virugambakkam by over 27,000 votes, symbolising the party’s grassroots appeal.
The scale of the TVK surge marks the first major breach in Tamil Nadu’s six-decade-old bipolar system dominated by the DMK and AIADMK. Analysts attributed the shift to a combination of anti-incumbency, welfare-centric promises, and Vijay’s mass appeal, which translated into votes across urban and rural belts alike.
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The election also recorded massive participation, with over 4.88 crore voters casting ballots, reflecting high public engagement in a tightly contested three-cornered fight.
Puducherry: NDA consolidates, Rangasamy retains seat
In Puducherry, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the All India N R Congress (AINRC), was set to retain power, buoyed by strong leads across the Union Territory.
According to ECI trends, the AINRC was leading in key constituencies and had crossed the halfway mark in the 30-member Assembly, with support from the BJP.
Chief Minister N Rangasamy retained his Thattanchavady seat, reinforcing the alliance’s position.
The election saw a record turnout of nearly 90 per cent, one of the highest ever in the Union Territory, indicating strong voter mobilisation.
The DMK and other parties trailed behind, while TVK made a modest debut presence, signalling its growing footprint beyond Tamil Nadu.
Together, the results in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry underscore a significant political churn in the south — with a new force emerging in Chennai and the NDA consolidating its hold in the Union Territory
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