Tamil Nadu witnessed a major political shock on May 4 as Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam candidate V.S. Babu defeated Chief Minister and DMK president M.K. Stalin in the Kolathur Assembly constituency.
Stalin's Kolathur Legacy
Kolathur was considered one of Stalin's strongest political bastions. The seat was created after delimitation before the 2011 Assembly election, and Stalin won from there for the first time that year. He defeated AIADMK's Saidai Duraisamy by a narrow margin of 2,734 votes while serving as Deputy Chief Minister.
In the following elections, Stalin turned Kolathur into a safe seat for the DMK. In 2016, he defeated AIADMK's J.C.D. Prabhakar by 37,730 votes. In 2021, he secured an even bigger victory against AIADMK's Aadi Rajaram by 70,384 votes. These results made Kolathur a textbook example of a political fortress.
But the 2026 election changed that story. V.S. Babu, who had moved from the AIADMK to TVK, pulled off a stunning victory against Stalin. Babu won the seat by 8795 votes, handing the DMK leader his first Assembly election defeat in more than 35 years.
The result has become one of the most talked-about moments of the Tamil Nadu election. For the DMK, Stalin's loss in Kolathur was a humiliating setback. For TVK, it was a symbolic and historic victory that showed the party's growing strength.
TVK's Electoral Breakthrough
TVK entered the election facing Tamil Nadu's two powerful Dravidian parties, the DMK and AIADMK. For more than six decades, the state had largely seen power shift between these two parties. But TVK's performance has now challenged that long-standing political pattern.
The party won 108 constituencies, falling just 10 seats short of the majority mark of 118 in the 234-member Assembly. Though TVK did not secure a clear majority on its own, its strong performance has created a major political turning point in Tamil Nadu.
Political Aftermath
After the results, Stalin shared a message thanking the people of Tamil Nadu and highlighting the welfare schemes carried out during his government. He also said the verdict was not in his favour and indicated that the DMK would work from the Opposition to continue serving the people.
The big question now is how TVK will form the government. With 108 seats, the party needs the support of 10 more MLAs to cross the majority mark. Political discussions and alliance possibilities are expected to decide the next phase of government formation.
For Vijay's TVK, which was launched only a few years ago, this election marks a historic breakthrough. From being seen as a new challenger to defeating a sitting Chief Minister in his own stronghold and emerging as a major force, TVK has created one of the most dramatic political moments in Tamil Nadu's recent history.
