E-Paper
Tamil Nadu's next MGR? Vijay's TVK leads in over 40 seats in early trends, breaches past AIADMK
If these trends hold, Vijay’s party could emerge as a major force in Tamil Nadu politics and take the place of AIADMK as the main opposition party in the state.
Actor-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) made a strong debut in early trends of the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, moving ahead of the BJP-AIADMK alliance in the state and leading in at least 48 seats as of 9:47 am.
If these trends hold, Vijay’s party could emerge as a major force in Tamil Nadu politics and take the place of AIADMK as the main opposition party in the state.
Follow Tamil Nadu election result 2026 live here.
In several constituencies, TVK pushed AIADMK down to third place, while DMK remained in the lead. This suggests that Vijay’s entry could alter the long-standing bipolar political pattern in Tamil Nadu.
However, these figures are based on very early trends, and the situation could change over the next few hours.
Vijay and the MGR factor
Tamil Nadu has a long history of film stars entering public life. If Vijay holds and further improves his numbers, he would become the third actor to have a major impact in the state, after MG Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa, both of whom left a strong mark on its politics.
MGR, who served three terms as chief minister, became popular through cinema before moving into politics.
He later founded the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and went on to become one of the state’s most influential leaders.
Tamil Nadu election result 2026
TVK is contesting the polls independently, facing the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and supported by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Meanwhile, the alliance headed by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), along with the Indian National Congress (INC), is seeking to retain power in the state.
Vijay's entry as the leader of TVK made the election a three-cornered contest. In Tamil Nadu, political battles have largely revolved around alliances led by the DMK and the AIADMK.
The counting process started at 8:00 am with postal ballots. This was followed by the counting of votes recorded in electronic voting machines (EVM) from 8:30 am. Round-wise data is being updated in real time on the ECINET platform, the official website of the Election Commission of India, and the HT website.
