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In a significant political turn for the outgoing Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), as many as 15 ministers have lost their seats in the 2026 Assembly elections, while 17 managed to retain their constituencies.
The DMK government that assumed office in 2021 had 34 ministers. In the 2026 polls, the party contested in 164 seats with their ‘rising sun’ symbol. Two ministers — Kayalvizhi Selvaraj and Mano Thangaraj — were not given tickets this time.
Only 32 ministers contested, of whom 15 were defeated while 17 managed to retain their seats.
While several senior leaders held their ground, a substantial number of ministers were unseated by candidates from actor-politician Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).
Big names among the losers
Among the most notable defeats is that of Chief Minister MK Stalin, who lost the Kolathur seat by 8,795 votes to TVK’s VS Babu. Senior leader Durai Murugan also suffered a setback in Katpadi, losing by 7,643 votes to TVK’s Dr M Sudhakar.
Health Minister Ma. Subramaniam (Saidapet) lost by a margin of 28,514 votes, while Information Technology Minister Palanivel Thiagarajan was defeated in Madurai Central by 19,128 votes.
Ministers including S Muthusamy (Erode West), P Geetha Jeevan (Thoothukudi), R Rajendran (Salem North), and P Moorthy (Madurai East) all lost to TVK candidates, with margins ranging from over 16,000 votes to 37,731 votes.
One of the most notable defeats came in Avadi, where SM Nasar lost by a massive margin of 76,311 votes to TVK’s R Ramesh Kumar.
Similarly, Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi (Thiruverumbur) and Mathiventhan M (Rasipuram) were also unseated by TVK candidates.
Defeats to other parties
While TVK emerged as the primary challenger, a few ministers lost to other parties as well.
MP Saminathan (Kangayam) was defeated by All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK)’s NSN Nataraj by 11,892 votes.
TRB Rajaa (Mannargudi) lost to Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK)’s Kamaraj S by 1,566 votes.
Winning with narrow margins
Some constituencies were decided by thin margins indicating tight contests.
The closest contest was in Tirupattur, where KR Periyakaruppan lost by just one vote to TVK’s Seenivasa Sethupathy.
Similarly, TRB Rajaa lost by 1,566 votes, while R Gandhi (Ranipet) was defeated by 5,787 votes.
CV Ganesan (Tittakudi) secured victory by a narrow margin of 2,629 votes, and S Regupathy (Thirumayam) won by 2,737 votes.
EV Velu (Tiruvannamalai) also had a close win, with a margin of 2,455 votes.
Comfortable wins for some ministers
Despite the setbacks, several DMK ministers marked decisive victories.
Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu was among those who retained his seat comfortably, winning Tiruchuli by 13,485 votes.
R Sakkarapani (Oddanchatram) won by a significant margin of 43,249 votes, while TM Anbarasan (Alandur) secured a win with a margin of 29,990 votes.
KKSSR Ramachandran (Aruppukottai) and I Periyasamy (Athoor) also recorded strong performances, winning by 27,341 and 22,368 votes respectively.
According to data from the Election Commission of India, the TVK won 108 seats. The DMK alliance secured 73 seats while the AIADMK alliance won 53 seats.
