All eyes are on Vijay as his party, the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), surged ahead of the two Dravidian majors in its very first election. As counting progressed in Tamil Nadu, TVK was leading in over 115 seats, putting it clearly ahead in the race. The AIADMK-led NDA alliance followed in second place with leads in over 60 seats.
In a major upset, the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) was pushed to third place. As per reports, at least a dozen ministers, including Chief Minister MK Stalin, were trailing across the state. The scale of the shift quickly turned the election into one of the biggest political shake-ups Tamil Nadu has seen in decades.
Vijay Surge Leaves DMK Leaders Trailing
The trends pointed towards a humiliating defeat for the DMK and a possible historic win for Vijay. In a striking moment, even a DMK worker publicly backed the actor. “Many people were expecting a change, and I hope that it will be a good change. I think Vijay will do something good for Tamil Nadu. Vijay will be the next chief minister of Tamil Nadu…,” said Lakshmi Priya.
Reports say that by around 12 pm on Friday, TVK appeared to be going even stronger, leading in over 130 seats, comfortably above the majority mark. The DMK, meanwhile, was struggling in the 20s, according to trends from analytics portal PValue, highlighting the scale of the setback for the ruling party.
Vijay Leads Historic Debut As TVK Crosses Majority Mark
Voting for the Tamil Nadu Assembly election 2026 was held in a single phase on April 23, along with the first phase of the West Bengal polls. The state has 234 seats, and the magic number needed to form the government is 118. Early trends suggested that Vijay had not only crossed that mark but was moving well beyond it.
Known as “Thalapathy,” Vijay has emerged as a major force largely because of his massive fan base. While most exit polls had predicted an advantage for the DMK, Axis My India had given an edge to TVK, which now seems closer to reality as counting continues.
Vijay Momentum Reflected On Ground With Tight Security
As the trends became clearer, visuals also showed dismantled tents at Anna Arivalayam, the DMK headquarters, signaling a mood of defeat. At the same time, a very different scene played out in TVK strongholds like Panaiyur and Neelankarai.
Security was significantly increased around Vijay’s residence in Neelankarai and the TVK party office in Panaiyur, as supporters gathered and tension grew with every round of counting.
Vijay Wave Sees Key DMK Leaders Fall Behind
According to the Election Commission, MK Stalin, contesting from Kolathur, was trailing by 2,277 votes. Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin was trailing by 1,244 votes in Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni. Senior leader Durai Murugan was behind by 2,293 votes in Katpadi.
Several other ministers were also trailing, including P Geetha Jeevan (Thoothukkudi), MA Subramanian (Saidapet), EV Velu (Tiruvannamalai), PK Sekarbabu (Harbour), TM Anbarasan (Alandur), KN Nehru (Trichy West), Govi Chezhian (Thiruvidaimarudur), Nasar (Avadi), Mathiventhan (Rasipuram), TRB Rajaa (Mannargudi), KKSSR Ramachandran, and Thangam Thennarasu in Tiruchuli.
Vijay Gains Stronghold In Nellai District
Vijay’s party was also performing strongly in the Nellai district, leading in four out of five constituencies, with Ambasamudram being the only exception. In Radhapuram, Assembly Speaker Appavu was trailing.
As per reports, at the end of the fourth round, Appavu had 13,224 votes, while TVK candidate Christopher was ahead with 14,950 votes, a lead of 1,726 votes. The BJP candidate stood third with 10,545 votes, according to Tamil media reports. The numbers further underlined the growing momentum behind Vijay and his party in this election.
Khalid Qasid is a media enthusiast with a strong interest in documentary filmmaking. He holds a Master’s degree in Convergent Journalism from AJK MCRC. He has also written extensively on esports at Sportsdunia. Currently, he covers world and general news at NewsX Digital.
