"Been In Power 6 Times, No Defeat We Have Not Faced": MK Stalin's 1st Reaction

Outgoing Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin on Tuesday said his party, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), has been in power several times and there is "no defeat that they have not faced", a day after they were routed by actor-politician Vijay's newly formed Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) in the 2026 assembly elections.

Stalin, who took up the reins as chief minister in 2021 and faced his first electoral defeat in 35 years, losing his Kolathur bastion to TVK's VS Babu, has also sent his resignation letter to the office of the state governor, Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar.

"The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has been in power six times. There is no victory we have not seen; there is no defeat we have not faced," Stalin, who first became MLA in 1989, posted on X in Tamil.

நடந்து முடிந்த தமிழ்நாடு சட்டமன்றப் பொதுத் தேர்தலில் திராவிட முன்னேற்றக் கழகத்தின் தலைமையிலான மதச்சார்பற்ற முற்போக்குக் கூட்டணிக் கட்சியின் வேட்பாளர்களுக்கு வாக்களித்த தமிழ்நாட்டு மக்கள் அனைவருக்கும் எனது மனமார்ந்த நன்றியை உண்மை உணர்வுடன் தெரிவித்துக் கொள்கிறேன்.

உங்கள்…

— M.K.Stalin - தமிழ்நாட்டை தலைகுனிய விடமாட்டேன் (@mkstalin) May 5, 2026

"In the political public life, in the journey of upholding our ideology, what we will always be cautious about is that our ideology should not suffer defeat. Whether in victory or defeat, those who regard them equally and continue their journey toward their ideals are the comrades of the party," he said.

Stalin, 73, has served as a legislator for seven terms, winning the Thousand Lights Assembly constituency four times and Kolathur thrice.

A Jab At Vijay's TVK

MK Stalin also took a dig at Vijay's TVK, the debutant who sprung a surprise by winning 108 of 234 seats and became the single largest party, and said it won just 17.43 lakh more votes than the DMK alliance, which secured 74 seats.

"The percentage difference in votes between us and them is just 3.52 per cent," he said, in an apparent reference to the TMK.

He claimed that the DMK alliance secured 1.54 crore votes.

"As far as I am concerned, I consider the trust that the people of Tamil Nadu have placed in us to be strong," Stalin, whose party netted 59 constituencies, said.

"I consider each and every one of your votes as an invaluable token of trust," he added.

"If we are the ruling party, we will formulate schemes for the people. If we are the opposition party, we will fight for the people's demands. In that regard, now as a strong opposition party, we will continue the politics for the people," Stalin said and vowed they would "win again".