Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni: Independent Seenivasan L. contests as Udhayanidhi Stalin wins; TVK leads state tally

DMK retained the Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni seat in Chennai, with Udhayanidhi Stalin winning with 62,992 votes in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.

The result came amid a dramatic statewide reshaping, where actor-turned-politician Vijay’s Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) emerged as the single-largest party with 108 seats, falling short of the 118 needed for a simple majority and seeking time for an appointment with the Governor over government formation.

Among the contenders in Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni was Independent (IND) candidate Seenivasan L. The 56-year-old is a 12th-pass graduate with no criminal cases reported. His declared assets total Rs 20.4 lakh, with liabilities of Rs 14.3 lakh. Voters in this Chennai district constituency ultimately decided the seat in favor of the DMK incumbent.

The broader map of Tamil Nadu shifted decisively toward TVK. Vijay won from both Perambur and Tiruchirappalli East—defeating DMK’s S. Inigo Irudayraj in the latter by over 20,000 votes—and secured Perambur by a margin of about 38,000 votes. In a setback for Chief Minister M.K.

Stalin, the DMK president lost in Kolathur, while Udhayanidhi Stalin held Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni. TVK’s surge produced notable upsets, including DMK Minister K.R. Periyakaruppan’s defeat in Tiruppattur by a single vote to TVK’s Seenivasa Sethupathy, an outcome that underlined the weight of every ballot in a tight contest.

R. Sabarinathan, son of Vijay’s longtime aide Rajendran, won the Virugambakkam Assembly seat for TVK. With Congress indicating willingness to lend support to TVK if needed, the focus now shifts to coalition arithmetic and government formation.

For Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni, the result reinforces DMK’s hold on a high-profile Chennai constituency, even as the state awaits next steps from TVK following its request for an audience with the Governor.