Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], May 5 : In a nail-biting finish, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) candidate Seenivasa Sethupathy secured a stunning victory from the Tiruppattur Assembly seat, defeating DMK's KR Periyakaruppan by a single vote.
Sethupathy's victory marks the end of Periyakaruppan's 20-year dominance in the constituency.
Sethupathy, reflecting on the dramatic turn of events, expressed deep gratitude and attributed his success to TVK president and actor Vijay.
"My success is all because of Vijay. It shows how important every single vote is," Sethupathy told ANI.
At the end of the penultimate round of counting of votes on Monday, Periyakaruppan was leading by 30 votes. However, the final round brought a stunning turnaround, with election officials declaring his closest rival, Seenivasa Sethupathy of the TVK, as the winner.
Sethupathy secured 83,365 votes, edging past Periyakaruppan, who polled 83,364 votes, registering one of the most shocking upsets in Indian electoral history.
Polling for the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly took place on April 23. In a historic first in Tamil Nadu, 85.12 per cent voter turnout was recorded.
The counting of votes began on May 4. From the very start of counting, TVK candidates began leading in a large number of constituencies.
Notably, they secured strong leads in districts such as Chennai, Tiruvallur, Chengalpattu, Kanchipuram, Coimbatore, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, and Madurai. Meanwhile, candidates from the DMK and AIADMK alliances also led in various constituencies across the state.
Within three to four hours of counting, trends were seen in all 234 constituencies. However, no party crossed the majority magic number mark of 118 seats required to form the government. TVK, however, crossed the 100-seat mark in leads and emerged as the single largest party.
As counting concluded and results were declared, TVK, contesting independently in all 234 constituencies, won 108 seats. The DMK alliance secured 73 seats, while the AIADMK alliance won 53 seats. The DMK itself, including its candidates and allies who contested under the Rising Sun symbol, won around 62 seats, making it the second-largest party.
TVK president Vijay contested in two constituencies and won both. He is expected to resign in Trichy and continue as MLA from Chennai Perambur assembly constituency.
For TVK to form the government, it will require the support of at least 10 more MLAs. With no independent MLAs in the state, TVK can form the government only if parties from either the DMK or AIADMK alliances extend their support.