Surprise package Vijay and his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party have emerged as a major change agent in the 2026 Tamil Nadu elections, as well as in state politics, making a major impact on the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).
5:18 p.m., Election Commission of India (ECI trends show that TVK has gained 13 seats and is ahead with another 95 seats. On the other hand, the DMK has won 7 seats and is leading in 53 seats, while the AIADMK has already won 45 seats. Follow Tamil Nadu election result live here.
The Tamil Nadu Assembly has a total of 234 seats. Forming a government requires the party to exceed the majority mark of 118 seats.
Read also | How Thalapathy Vijay, who was set to become Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, changed after the Karur stampede
What happens if TVK fails to pass the majority?
Concerns have been raised that Tamil Nadu could end up with a hung assembly if neither party is able to secure sufficient numbers.
Although TVK, led by Vijay for the first time, is far ahead of the traditional DMK and AIADMK, it is still short of the number required to form the government.
With 13 confirmed wins and a lead in 95 seats, TVK is currently placed in over 108 seats. Following the same method for other parties, the DMK gets around 60 seats, AIADMK 45, Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) 5, Congress 5, Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) 2 seats, and Communist Party of India (CPI) 2 seats.
According to the latest trends, TVK still needs at least 10 additional seats to cross the majority line.
Since TVK has chosen to contest without any alliance, it may now have to seek support from smaller parties associated with either the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance or the AIADMK-led National Democratic Alliance.
Congress can also play a crucial role. HT had earlier reported that at least three senior party members had seriously explored the option of separating from the DMK and supporting Vijay ahead of the elections.
The PMK, led by Dr Anbumani Ramadoss, is another party that could become important in forming the government. Since there are no major differences in their positions, switching from NDA to support TVK may not be difficult for PMK.
