TVK's VS Babu has defeated Chief Minister MK Stalin on his home turf of Kolathur, overturning a 70,000-vote winning margin from 2021 to clinch victory by roughly 9,000 votes in the 2026 Tamil Nadu assembly elections.
Babu secured over 82,000 votes against Stalin’s 73,000, with AIADMK’s R Santhanakrishnan a distant third at 14,000, per Election Commission data. Stalin had held the Kolathur seat undefeated since 2011.
A former functionary of both the DMK and AIADMK, Babu is now joint general secretary of TVK, the party floated by actor Vijay in 2024 to challenge Tamil Nadu’s two-party dominance.
The Kolathur result is part of a broader TVK wave sweeping the state. Vijay’s party is leading in 109 of 234 seats, with the AIADMK ahead in 44 and the ruling DMK in 53. Over a dozen DMK ministers, including party general secretary Duraimurugan, Thangam Thennarasu and TRB Rajaa, are trailing in their respective constituencies.
Vijay himself is leading from both Tiruchi (East) and Perambur. Should TVK cross the majority mark of 118 seats, it would make history as no party has ever won power in Tamil Nadu within two years of its founding.