- MK Stalin's plea for 100% VVPAT counting in Kolathur was dismissed by Madras High Court
- Stalin sought invalidation of VS Babu's election and declaration of himself as winner
- Babu defeated Stalin by 8,795 votes, ending Stalin's three-time winning streak since 2011
DMK chief MK Stalin suffered a setback on Thursday when the Madras High Court dismissed his plea seeking 100 per cent counting of VVPAT slips in the Kolathur Assembly constituency, where he suffered a surprise defeat to TVK's VS Babu in the 2026 Assembly elections. Stalin has also sought the invalidation of Babu's election and a declaration that he be elected from the constituency.
It's not clear if Stalin would approach the Supreme Court in the matter.
Babu defeated Stalin by 8,795 votes, polling 82,997 votes against Stalin's 74,202. Stalin, who had won Kolathur in three successive elections since the constituency was formed in 2011, finished second this time.
The Election Commission had challenged the maintainability of Stalin's writ petition. It argued that an election result can be questioned only through an election petition under the Representation of the People Act, and that Stalin ought to have followed that route within the prescribed time.
The dispute centres on the post-election verification of EVMs. After the results were declared on May 4, Stalin applied on May 7 for verification of 14 EVM sets - five per cent of the 286 sets used in the constituency.
However, the verification exercise began only on July 29 and was completed on August 5. Stalin has argued that the delay by the Election Commission affected his ability to pursue his legal remedy within the prescribed period for challenging an election.
Following the results, VS Babu attributed the victory to party chief Vijay and a local connection. Touching upon the anti-incumbency factor, VS Babu said that his win came against the backdrop of people's desire for change in Tamil Nadu.
"I have won only with our leader. Our leader's face is the face of Tamil Nadu. People wanted a change, and they have changed this. I was born and brought up in that area. We know the pulse of people. It's we who made him (MK Stalin) enter Kolathur. He doesn't know anyone in Kolathur. Whether he is CM or MLA, he should mingle with the local people first. People are watching it," VS Babu told news agency ANI.
