83,365 vs 83,364: 1 vote ends DMK stalwart's 20-year reign in Tiruppattur thriller

NEW DELHI: In a result that underscores just how decisive a single vote can be, DMK veteran and minister KR Periyakaruppan lost the Tiruppattur Assembly seat by a margin of just one vote, bringing an abrupt end to his two-decade-long hold over the constituency.In one of the closest finishes in recent electoral memory, the contest in Tiruppattur in Sivaganga district turned dramatically in the final round of counting. Periyakaruppan, who was ahead by 30 votes at the end of the penultimate round, was overtaken in the last stretch by Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) candidate Seenivasa Sethupathy.Sethupathy secured 83,365 votes, narrowly edging past Periyakaruppan, who finished with 83,364 votes — a razor-thin margin that will likely be counted among the most stunning upsets in Indian electoral history.The result is particularly significant as it marks the first time since 2006 that Periyakaruppan has been unseated from Tiruppattur, a constituency long considered his stronghold. BJP’s KC Thirumaran finished a distant third with 29,054 votes, trailing the winner by over 54,000 votes.The upset comes amid a broader political churn in Tamil Nadu, where actor-turned-politician Vijay’s TVK has made a remarkable electoral debut. The party won 108 seats in the 234-member Assembly, falling just 10 short of the majority mark of 118.With no party crossing the halfway mark, TVK is expected to explore support from smaller parties, including Congress (5 seats), PMK (4), Left parties (4), and VCK (2), many of whom were previously aligned with either the DMK or AIADMK.Reacting to the results, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram described TVK’s performance as a “spectacular electoral debut,” saying the mandate reflects a desire for change in Tamil Nadu.The outcome also challenges the long-held perception that film stars struggle to convert popularity into political success. Vijay now joins the ranks of iconic actor-politicians such as N T Rama Rao, M G Ramachandran, and J Jayalalithaa.If TVK manages to form the government, it would mark a historic shift in Tamil Nadu politics, potentially ending decades of dominance by the DMK and AIADMK that has largely defined the state’s political landscape since 1977.