In a dramatic sequel to one of Tamil Nadu’s closest-ever electoral contests, former DMK minister KR Periyakaruppan has moved the Madras High Court after losing the Tiruppattur Assembly seat to Seenivasa Sethupathy by just a single vote.
The Madras High Court is set to hold a rare special sitting on Sunday to hear Periyakaruppan’s plea, underscoring the extraordinary nature of the case. The senior DMK leader has sought an interim injunction restraining the newly elected TVK MLA from taking oath or participating in any legislative proceedings until the petition is decided.
ADDING TO THE DRAMA, A VOTE FROM MUSCAT
The tiruppattur-one-vote-loss-muscat-voter-tvk-vijay-tamil-nadu-dmk-2906757-2026-05-05″ target=”_self”>one-vote upset gained even more attention after a voter from Muscat claimed he had flown all the way to Tamil Nadu specifically to cast his ballot for Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).
Manikandan Sivanantham, a voter from Tiruppattur constituency in Sivaganga district, posted on social media that he was “proud” to have travelled from Muscat to vote, noting that the margin of victory was exactly one vote, raising the possibility that his ballot may have changed the outcome.
Final Election Commission figures showed Seenivasa Sethupathy securing 83,375 votes, edging out Periyakaruppan by the narrowest possible democratic margin after counting concluded.
TVK’S EARTHQUAKE IN TAMIL NADU
The Tiruppattur result was among the most symbolic shocks delivered by TVK in its debut Assembly election. Launched only in February 2024, the party stormed Tamil Nadu politics with nearly 35 per cent vote share and emerged as the single largest party, dismantling the state’s long-standing DMK-AIADMK dominance.
Among the biggest upsets was Chief Minister MK Stalin’s defeat in Kolathur to former DMK leader VS Babu, the relatively lesser-known TVK candidate. More than 10 ministers, including Geetha Jeevan and Ma Subramanian, also lost in the TVK wave.
While DMK ended with 59 seats and the NDA-backed AIADMK secured 47, TVK fell just short of the majority mark in the 234-member Assembly, triggering hectic coalition negotiations with smaller parties including Congress, IUML, Left parties, VCK and PMK.
VIJAY TO TAKE OATH AS TAMIL NADU CM
The legal battle comes even as Vijay is set to take oath as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister at 10 am today after securing the Governor’s nod to form the government with the backing of Congress, CPI, CPI(M), VCK and IUML.
TVK, which won 108 seats in its debut election, crossed the majority mark with support from 120 MLAs in the 234-member Assembly, paving the way for Vijay to become Tamil Nadu’s first non-Dravidian Chief Minister in nearly 60 years.
However, suspense continues over Cabinet formation amid reports of allies bargaining for key portfolios, including the Deputy Chief Minister’s post, after days of intense negotiations and resort-politics manoeuvring during the government formation process.
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Published By:
Priyanka Kumari
Published On:
May 10, 2026 08:33 IST
