Every single vote counts. Just ask this DMK minister in Tamil Nadu

E-PaperSubscribeSubscribeEnjoy unlimited accessSubscribe Now! Get features like Every single vote counts. This sounds like a platitude the Election Commission or other authorities would use to boost voter turnout. But in a Tamil Nadu constituency, the importance of one vote became the difference between winning and losing. Seenivasa Sethupathy R of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), led by actor-turned-politician Vijay, secured victory with 83,375 votes, while DMK's KR Periakaruppan finished with 83,374 votes. (facebook/ KR Periakaruppan)Senior DMK leader and Tamil Nadu minister for co-operatives KR Periakaruppan lost the Tiruppattur Assembly seat by a razor-thin margin of 1 vote in a dramatic upset in the 2026 Tamil Nadu elections. According to election commission data, Seenivasa Sethupathy R of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), led by actor-turned-politician Vijay, secured victory with 83,375 votes, while Periakaruppan finished with 83,374 votes. BJP's KC Thirumaran finished a distant third in the constituency with 29,054 votes. The contest witnessed a tense finish; Periyakaruppan led by 30 votes at the end of the penultimate round, only for the final tally to shift in favour of the TVK candidate. The result in Tiruppattur remains one of the closest in India's electoral history, emphasising the decisive impact of individual ballots. This is the first time Tiruppattur Assembly constituency has voted Periyakaruppan out after he first won the election in 2006. The defeat of the sitting minister highlights the surge of Vijay's TVK, which emerged as the single largest party with 108 seats in a historic debut that disrupted the state's traditional bipolar politics. Vijay’s TVK needs to cross the majority mark of 118 to form the government. The party currently has 108 members in the assembly and is likely to seek the support of smaller parties that were part of either the DMK or the AIADMK alliance. Congress (5 seats), PMK (4 seats), Left parties (4 seats) and VCK (2 seats) are among the parties that could extend support to TVK. Congress MP and leader of the opposition, Rahul Gandhi, on Monday congratulated Vijay for his party's big victory in its maiden contest in Tamil Nadu. Gandhi said that the state favouring Vijay's party was a reflection of the “rising voice of youth”. “I spoke to Thiru Vijay and congratulated him on TVK’s spectacular result. This mandate reflects the rising voice of youth, which cannot, and will not, be ignored,” Gandhi said in a tweet, while also thanking Congress workers for their campaign in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. “I reiterate that the Congress party will continue to protect and serve the people of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry,” he concluded. AICC In-charge for Tamil Nadu, Girish Chodankar, earlier said he had given a report to the Congress leadership, and they will "take a call on Tamil Nadu". Congress MP Karti Chidambaram also congratulated Vijay and the party for their performance in the assembly elections, describing it as a "spectacular electoral debut". "I congratulate Mr Vijay and the TVK for a spectacular electoral debut. People have voted for change in Tamil Nadu, and the mandate is with them now to cobble up a working majority and to give a good government to the people of Tamil Nadu," he said. Shivam Pratap Singh is a digital journalist who works as a Deputy Chief Content Producer with Hindustan Times. Having previously worked with various platforms covering national, international as well as sports events, he blends in various topics to easy to read news pieces for the benefit of the reader. Shivam holds a Master's degree in International Relations from Jamia Millia Islamia, bringing in a unique perspective for whatever is happening around the world. An avid reader, he can be seen immersed in books and book shops while not working. Shivam treats every topic almost equally but loves to right about foreign affairs and politics of India. He has over half-a-decade of experience in digital journalism though his career started in print.Read More