Shattering decades of entrenched political dominance, the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has surged into Tamil Nadu’s political arena, scripting history in its very first electoral outing. Led by Vijay, the party secured a remarkable 108 Assembly seats, dismantling the long-standing duopoly of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). Just short of a simple majority, TVK’s rise, nonetheless, marks one of the most dramatic political upheavals in the state’s history.
The western belt, long regarded as an impregnable stronghold of the AIADMK, emerged as the epicentre of this political churn. In Coimbatore district, TVK captured six of the ten constituencies, firmly announcing its arrival. In Kavundapalayam, Kanimozhi Santosh delivered a commanding victory with a margin of 42,140 votes.
Erode district witnessed an equally sweeping surge, with TVK clinching all four key constituencies — Modakurichi, Gobichettipalayam, Erode East, and Erode West. Shanmugan dominated Modakurichi with 60,715 votes, while former AIADMK heavyweight Sengottaiyan, now with TVK, secured a massive 82,612-vote victory. Vijay Balaji and Ananth Moghan completed the clean sweep in Erode.
In Salem, the battle was fiercely contested. TVK wrested four constituencies — Veerapandi, Salem North, Salem South, and Salem West — while the AIADMK retained several pockets. Party chief Edappadi K. Palaniswami held on to Edappadi with a formidable margin of 98,110 votes, notably without facing a TVK challenger after the party’s nominations were rejected over proposer verification issues, leaving it unable to field a candidate.
The momentum carried into Tiruppur, where TVK won Avanashi, Tiruppur North, and Tiruppur South. V. Sathyabama registered a landslide win in Tiruppur North with a margin of 69,992 votes. In Namakkal district, the party tightened its grip further, winning Rasipuram, Namakkal, Tiruchengode, and Kumarapalayam.
Even in more challenging terrains, TVK made notable gains. It secured Pennagaram in Dharmapuri and won both Krishnagiri and Uthangarai in Krishnagiri district, though Bargur narrowly slipped to the AIADMK. In Karur district, TVK captured Krishnarayapuram, while falling short in Kulithalai, where candidate G. Balasubramani lost by just 579 votes.
In Dindigul district, the party managed a lone but significant victory in Nilakottai.