Chennai, May 4
In a stunning political upheaval, actor-turned-politician C. Joseph Vijay secured a massive landslide victory from Tiruchy East by over 26,000 votes, leading his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam to a historic debut triumph that has dramatically reshaped Tamil Nadu's political landscape.
Polling for all 234 constituencies was held in a single phase on April 23, with counting conducted across 62 centres on Monday.
What began as a four-cornered contest involving the DMK, AIADMK, NTK, and TVK culminated in a sweeping surge for Vijay's party, marking a decisive shift away from the state's long-standing Dravidian dominance.
In one of the biggest shocks of the election, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin lost his Kolathur seat to TVK's V.S. Babu by a margin of 9,192 votes, underlining the scale of the political churn.
However, key DMK figures such as Udhayanidhi Stalin (Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni) and V. Senthil Balaji (Coimbatore South) managed to retain their constituencies.
TVK candidates delivered impressive performances across regions, reflecting both organisational reach and voter mobilisation.
Adhav Arjuna won in Villivakkam, Thennarasu secured Sriperumbudur, and Prabhu emerged victorious in Karaikudi, where NTK chief Seeman suffered his third consecutive Assembly election defeat.
In Royapuram, TVK's Vijay Dhamu, an auto driver, pulled off a sensational win against former minister D. Jayakumar, reflecting the party's strong grassroots connect.
The party also registered key victories in Mylapore, where Venkataramanan defeated BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan, and in Radhapuram, where Assembly Speaker Appavu was unseated by TVK's Satish.
Among other results, DMK's Raghupathi won in Tirumayam, while minister Sekar Babu retained Chennai Harbour.
In Nagapattinam, MMK's Jawahirullah secured victory.
TVK leaders termed the verdict a "new revolution" in Tamil Nadu and alleged that attempts were made to obstruct Vijay's campaign and discredit the party.
Actor Sivakarthikeyan congratulated Vijay, praising his influence and remarkable success in his first electoral contest.
Congress leader Girish Chodankar said a report on the results has been submitted to the party high command, with further strategy to be decided by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and the senior leadership.
With heightened security at Vijay's Chennai residence, including full-body screening for visitors, the scale of his political ascent is unmistakable. Tamil Nadu appears to be entering a new political phase under Vijay's rising leadership.
- IANS
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