The 2026 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly elections mark a turning point, with Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), spearheaded by actor-turned-politician Vijay, dismantling the longstanding DMK-AIADMK duopoly and reshaping the state's political landscape
By taking on the entrenched two-party dominance and reconfiguring voter affiliations, TVK has not only transformed 2026 into a three-way battle, but has also revitalised people's hope for change in the state. Some constituencies saw a razor-thin victory margin; in one of the constituencies the margin was just one vote.
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Closest victory margins
The closest contest came in Tiruppattur, where SeeniVasa Sethupathy R of the TVK won by just one vote over Periakaruppan KR of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.
In Veppanahalli, DMK's Srinivasan P.S. prevailed by 138 votes over AIADMK's Munusamy K.P., while in Kanniyakumari, AIADMK's Thalavai Sundaram N edged past DMK's Mahesh R by 214 votes.
Polur went to TVK's Abishek R by 227 votes over DMDK's Saravanan P, and Tirukkoyilur was claimed by AIADMK's Palanisamy S, who defeated TVK's Vijay R Baranibalaaji by 285 votes.
The tight races continued in Paramathi-Velur, where AIADMK's Sekar S won by 308 votes over DMK's Moorthiy K S, and in Kulithalai, where DMK's Suriyanur A. Chandran prevailed by 579 votes against TVK's G. Balasubramani.
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Kumbakonam saw another narrow contest as TVK's Vinoth beat DMK's Anbalagan G by 679 votes, while Palani went to AIADMK's Ravimanoharan K by 693 votes over TVK's Dr. Praveen Kumar M.
In Tindivanam, Vanni Arasu of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi completed the top 10 with a 734-vote win over AIADMK's Arjunan P.
TVK's entry into Tamil Nadu's political arena is undeniably historic, making it a first-of-its-kind, celebrity-led regional party stepping into the Assembly contest as a formidable disruptive element.
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