In one of the biggest surprises of the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) candidate V.S. Babu has defeated Chief Minister M.K. Stalin in the Kolathur constituency.
A former DMK MLA, Babu, joined actor-turned-politician Vijay’s TVK on February 7, 2026, and was fielded against the DMK supremo. Kolathur has been Stalin’s stronghold for many years, but this time the result went the other way. Babu won the seat by more than 9,000 votes after 22 rounds of counting, according to data from the Election Commission.
In Kolathur (Round 13 of 22), VS Babu of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam is currently leading MK Stalin of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam by 7,544 votes, according to ECI trends. The result is still in progress, but TVK continues to hold the edge as counting moves into the later rounds.
Strong finish for TVK candidate
Babu, whose party TVK is contesting its very first election, secured more than 82,000 votes. Stalin, who has represented Kolathur since 2011, received around 73,000 votes. AIADMK candidate R. Santhanakrishnan finished in third place with about 14,000 votes. The result marks a major moment for TVK, as it not only enters the political space but also manages to defeat a sitting Chief Minister in his own constituency.
Who is VS Babu? From DMK veteran now challenging Stalin
VS Babu is not new to Tamil Nadu politics. He has been part of the Dravidian political space for many years. He won the Purasawalkam seat in the 2006 Assembly elections as a DMK candidate, defeating his AIADMK opponent by more than 90,000 votes. He served as MLA from 2006 to 2011.
Now 75 years old, Babu says he is an ex-MLA and public servant. His election affidavit shows assets worth around ₹3.7 crore, with no loans or criminal cases. He joined TVK on February 7, 2026, in the presence of actor Vijay. Since then, he has been working as the joint general secretary of the party. TVK itself is very new. It was started in February 2024 and is contesting its first big election this year.
TVK is also performing strongly in several Chennai regions, many of which have traditionally been DMK strongholds. In fact, in many of these segments, TVK is currently ahead while DMK is struggling to hold its ground.
Kolathur, once a safe seat, becomes a battle
Kolathur has been M.K. Stalin’s stronghold since 2011. He won here easily in both 2016 and 2021, including a huge margin of over 70,000 votes in the last election. Given the history, very few expected any real challenge in this Chennai constituency.
But the early counting on May 4 changed that picture. VS Babu moved ahead of Stalin in several rounds. At different points, his lead was reported between 4,000 and more than 7,000 votes.
A possible historic shift in Tamil Nadu politics
If these trends continue, Vijay’s TVK could be heading towards one of the biggest political upsets in Tamil Nadu’s electoral history.
During his campaign, Vijay had referred to the landmark elections of 1967 and 1977. In 1967, C.N. Annadurai led the DMK to form the first non-Congress government in the state after Independence. Ten years later, M.G. Ramachandran (MGR) broke away and formed the AIADMK, which came to power in 1977 by defeating the DMK under M. Karunanidhi.
Since 1967, Tamil Nadu politics has mostly been dominated by either the DMK or AIADMK, with the state often called the “Dravidian heartland.” Now, with TVK crossing 100 seats in its debut election, the political wind appears to be going through one of its most unexpected turns in decades.