After spectacular TN Assembly poll results, TVK chief Vijay meets with winning candidates at Chennai party HQ
Chennai, May 5
Actor-politician Vijay and chief of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, which had a spectacular showing in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, on Tuesday morning arrived at the party headquarters in the state capital Chennai.
Several senior TVK politicians, including General Secretary Aadhav Arjuna and others also, arrived at the party headquarters in Panaiyur.
TVK, a new entrant into the state politics, won 108 seats in the 234-seat Tamil Nadu assembly but, however fallling 10 short of the 118 halfway majority mark the party will need support from other parties to form the new government in the State.
Vijay will hold a crucial meeting with the winning candidates today and decide on the next steps.
Security outside Vijay's residence in Nilankarai as well as the party headquarters in Panaiyur in the city has been heightened. Huge crowds of supporters gatthered to greet him as he arrived.
Meanwhile, a TVK supporter expressed happiness over the party's performance, calling the development a "much-needed" change.
"We are happy that the TVK government has been formed in Tamil Nadu...We want Thalapathy Vijay to become the Chief Minister of the state...This is a much-needed change," he said.
TVK stunned the 'Dravidian' parties in the State bringing to an end to the DMK-AIADMK three- decade-old 'duopoly'.
Candidates of the debut party ended up defeating many stellar politicians in the State, including Chief Minister MK Stalin from Kolathur, DMK stalwart Duraimurugan, Union Minister L Murugan, and former Tamil Nadu BJP president Tamilisasi Soundarajan.
TVK chief Vijay himself won from both the constitituenices-Tiruchirapalli East and Perambur and proved that his charisma is not only limited to cinema.
MS Babu of the TVK won against Chief Minister MK Stalin by 8795 votes in Kolathur, a seat which the DMK chief had held from 2011.
Duraimurugan, who has been amongst the longest serving MLAs in Tamil Nadu assembly lost to TVK's M. Sudhakar in Katpadi by 7309 votes. Murugan, contesting from Avinashi, was defeated by a margin of 15373 votes against TVK's Kamali S. Meanwhile, Soundarajan, who contested from Mylapore, lost against TVK's Venkataramanan P by 28972 votes, and stood in the third place.
KR Periyakaruppan the DMK minister in Stalin's cabinet lost out by just one vote to TVK's Seenivasa Sethupathy. Sethupathy secured 83,365 votes, edging past Periyakaruppan, who polled 83,364 votes.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Winning 108 seats in your debut election is no joke. But falling short by 10 seats means he'll need coalition partners, and that's where the real test begins. Dravidian parties won't go away easily. Let's hope Vijay can keep his promises about development and transparency without getting tangled in typical political horse-trading. 🔥🔥
As a Tamilian, I'm cautiously optimistic. Vijay's TVK has ended the dynastic politics of DMK and AIADMK, which is a huge win for democracy. But I hope he doesn't become another celebrity-turned-politician who disappoints. The real work starts now—job creation, education, and infrastructure. Let's watch what leadership he brings to the table.
The margin of just one vote in one constituency shows how close this election was. Periyakaruppan's loss by one vote is heartbreaking for DMK but also a wake-up call for all politicians. Vijay's charisma is undeniable but let's not forget that movies and governance are different worlds. Hoping he brings fresh energy without chaos.
As someone from outside India, this is fascinating. A film star defeating seasoned politicians like MK Stalin and Duraimurugan is no small feat. But I worry about the cult of personality. In many democracies, star power can override policy discussions. Hope Vijay focuses on good governance rather than just being a "Thalapathy" in office.
This is what happens when people are fed up with corruption and lack of progress. DMK and AIAD
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