Every vote matters. This sounds like a cliche that the Election Commission or other authorities might use to boost voter turnout. But in one Tamil Nadu constituency, the importance of a single vote has become the difference between victory and loss.
big DMK leader and Tamil Nadu Cooperatives Minister KR Periakaruppan lost the Tiruppattur Assembly seat by a razor-thin margin of one vote in a dramatic upset in the 2026 Tamil Nadu elections.
According to Election Commission data, Senivasa Sethupathi R of Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), Led by actor-turned-politician Vijay, it secured victory with 83,375 votes, while Periyakaruppan finished with 83,374 votes. BJP’s KC Thirumaran finished a distant third in the constituency with 29,054 votes.
The competition witnessed a tense end. Periyakarupappan led by 30 votes at the end of the penultimate round, but the final result swung in favor of the TVK candidate.
The result in Tirupattur remains one of the closest in India’s electoral history, underscoring the decisive influence of individual voting. This is the first time that Tirupattur Assembly constituency has voted for Periyakaruppan after he won the elections for the first time in 2006.
The incumbent minister’s defeat highlights the rise of Vijay’s TVK, which emerged as the largest single party with 108 seats in a historic first that disrupted traditional bipolar politics in the state.
How will the Tamil Nadu government be formed?
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 support from smaller parties that were part of the DMK or AIADMK alliance.
Congress (5 seats), PMK (4 seats), Left parties (4 seats) and VCK (2 seats) are among the parties that can extend support to TVK.
Congressman and opposition leader, Rahul Gandhi on Monday congratulated Vijay on his party’s huge victory in its first contest in Tamil Nadu. Gandhi said the state’s preference for Vijay’s party was a reflection of the “rising youth voice”.
“I spoke to Thiru Vijay and congratulated him on the amazing TVK result. This mandate reflects the rising voice of the 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.
Girish Chodankar, AICC in-charge of Tamil Nadu, had earlier said that he had submitted a report to the Congress leadership and they would “take a call on Tamil Nadu”.
Congress MP Karti Chidambaram also congratulated Vijay and the party for their performance in the Assembly elections and termed it an “amazing electoral start”.
“I congratulate Mr. Vijay and the TVK party on an amazing electoral debut. The people voted for change in Tamil Nadu, and the mandate is now with them to form a working majority and give the people of Tamil Nadu good government,” he said.
