TVK's VS Babu a giantkiller? MK Stalin trails from Kolathur seat as DMK crumbles

Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections 2026: Babu is the joint general secretary of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, the party launched by actor Vijay in 2024 to take on both the DMK and the AIADMK in their first-ever election contest.

Tamil Nadu is witnessing one of its most dramatic election days in living memory. Chief Minister MK Stalin, contesting from his stronghold of Kolathur, a seat he has held since 2011, is trailing TVK's VS Babu by more than 7,300 votes as per the latest Election Commission trends. The AIADMK's R Santhanakrishnan is a distant third. Follow for live updates 

In 2021, Stalin won Kolathur by a margin of 70,384 votes. Today, that stronghold is wobbling.

Babu is the joint general secretary of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, the party launched by actor Vijay in 2024 to take on both the DMK and the AIADMK in their first-ever election contest.

Also Read: Thalapathy Vijay's TVK surges ahead in early trends, emerges as front-runner in Tamil Nadu

TVK's Stunning Show

The bigger picture is just as striking. Vijay's party is currently ahead in 85 of Tamil Nadu's 234 seats, a number that, if it holds, would make TVK the single largest party in the state in just its second year of existence. No party in Tamil Nadu's history has come to power within two years of being founded. The majority mark is 118.

The AIADMK and its ally PMK are leading in 61 and six seats respectively, while the ruling DMK is currently ahead in just 35. Vijay himself is leading from both constituencies he contested, Tiruchi East and Perambur.

Ministers Falling

The damage to the DMK runs deep. More than a dozen sitting ministers are currently trailing, including party general secretary Duraimurugan, Thangam Thennarasu, TRB Rajaa, Ma Subramanian, PK Sekar Babu, EV Velu, KN Nehru, Getha Jeevan, and KKSSR Ramachandran.

In Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni, Stalin's son Udhayanidhi Stalin is currently trailing AIADMK's Aadhi Rajaram, the same man his father defeated in Kolathur in 2021. If the trends hold, Tamil Nadu is headed for an outcome that nobody, including the exit polls, fully predicted.