Tamil Nadu Assembly Election Results 2026: How A Muscat Return Indian Man Helped Vijay's TVK Win Tiruppattur? Tale Of One Powerful Vote For Victory

Chennai: In a dramatic electoral upset that has gripped political observers across Tamil Nadu, DMK minister KR Periyakaruppan lost the Tiruppattur Assembly constituency by a margin of just one vote, one of the narrowest verdicts in recent electoral history.

Periyakaruppan, who served as the state’s Minister for Co-operatives, was defeated by Seenivasa Sethupathy of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). According to official figures, Sethupathy secured 83,375 votes, edging past Periyakaruppan by a solitary ballot after an intense counting process that kept both camps on edge till the very end.

The razor-thin margin has not only made headlines but also sparked widespread discussion about the value of every single vote in a democracy. Adding a human dimension to this extraordinary result is the story of Manikandan Sivanantham, an overseas voter who travelled from Muscat to cast his ballot in Tiruppattur, a vote that now appears symbolically decisive.

Sivanantham took to the social media platform X to express his pride after the results were declared. In his post, he highlighted how he had flown in from Muscat specifically to support TVK and its leader Vijay, popularly known as 'Thalapathy.'

Days before polling, he had shared his travel plans and hopes for the party’s victory, even posting his voter ID as proof when questioned online. With the final margin standing at just one vote, his journey has now become a powerful symbol of civic participation, showing how individual action can influence electoral outcomes.

The contest in Tiruppattur is being compared to some of the closest races in Indian electoral history, where margins have come down to a handful, or even a single vote. Such outcomes often reinforce the unpredictability of elections and the critical importance of voter turnout, especially in tightly contested constituencies.

Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections Results

The overall results of the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections indicate a major political shift in the state. The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam has emerged as the leading force, winning 108 out of 234 seats and positioning itself to form the next government. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam finished a distant second with 59 seats, followed by the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam with 47 seats. Other parties, including the Indian National Congress and the Pattali Makkal Katchi, registered marginal gains with 5 and 4 seats respectively.