Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], May 5 : All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) leader K Pandiarajan on Tuesday termed the party's defeat in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections as a "temporary setback", declaring that his party possesses the necessary resilience to make a significant comeback.
Speaking to ANI, the AIADMK leader stressed that the electorate has not rejected the "Dravidian model", as Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and AIADMK collectively hold over 120 seats in the state. Pandiarajan, however, observed that the benefit of the evident anti-incumbency against the DMK "has gone to TVK".
"Don't forget that both the Dravidian parties together are still holding 120-plus seats. So, I don't think there's any rejection of the Dravidian party per se. There has been anti-incumbency against DMK and I think the benefit of it has gone to TVK. In my view, I think AIADMK will bounce back. I think it's a temporary setback. I'm very sure the party has enough resilience; like a phoenix bird, it will come back," said Pandiarajan.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu witnessed a dramatic political shift as TVK secured 108 seats in the 234-member Assembly in its debut election, falling just 11 seats short of the majority mark.
DMK secured 59 seats while Congress got merely five. TVK is now expected to seek support from smaller parties, including Congress, PMK, Left parties, CPI(M), and VCK, to form the government.
The election results also delivered a major upset in Kolathur, where DMK chief and outgoing Chief Minister MK Stalin lost to TVK's VS Babu by 8,795 votes. TVK also led the vote share with over 32 per cent, while the DMK secured 24.19 per cent and the AIADMK 21.22 per cent, marking a decline for both Dravidian majors.
TVK's performance is a significant upset to the long-standing dominance of the DMK and AIADMK, with Vijay's party falling just 10 seats short of the majority mark of 118.
To form the government, TVK is expected to seek support from smaller parties, including Congress, PMK, Left parties, CPI(M), and VCK, which could push it past the majority threshold.