DMK retains core vote share with better seat conversion, but stalwarts lose

The ruling DMK, which faced severe reversal in the Assembly elections 2026, managed to poll 24.2 per cent of the vote share constituting over 1.18 crore votes, as of available ECI figures on Monday night. In terms of seats, the party had won or was leading in 60 seats ending up as the principal opposition party but its allies the Congress, Viduthalai Chiruthaikal Katchi (VCK), the CPI(M), the CPI, and others, fared poorly.

DMK leader and outgoing Chief Minister M. K. Stalin lost the Kolathur constituency to V. S. Babu of the TVK, a relatively lesser-known candidate who had earlier served as the district secretary of the DMK’s North Chennai unit. Mr. Stalin had been elected from the constituency three times, since it was created after delimitation.