Madras High Court to Hear Plea Challenging TVK MLA’s One-Vote Victory

Chennai, May 2026: The Madras High Court is set to hear an urgent petition on Sunday filed by former Tamil Nadu Minister and senior Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader K. R. Periyakaruppan seeking to restrain Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) candidate Srinivasa Sethupathi from taking oath as a Member of the Legislative Assembly following his dramatic one-vote victory in the recently concluded Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.

The matter has been listed before the vacation bench comprising Justice L. Victoria Gowri and Justice N. Senthilkumar and is expected to be taken up for hearing around 10.30 a.m. on May 10.

The legal dispute arises from the intensely fought Tiruppathur Assembly constituency in Sivaganga district, which produced one of the narrowest victory margins in Tamil Nadu’s electoral history.

According to the official results declared by the Election Commission of India, TVK candidate Srinivasa Sethupathi secured 83,365 votes, defeating Periyakaruppan, who polled 83,364 votes — a margin of just one vote.

Challenging the result, Periyakaruppan has alleged serious irregularities during the counting process and approached the High Court seeking a recount of votes. He has also sought an interim injunction restraining Srinivasa Sethupathi from assuming office as an MLA until the election dispute is fully resolved.

In his petition, the former minister claimed that certain postal ballots meant for the Tiruppathur constituency in Sivaganga district were mistakenly transferred to another constituency with a similar name located in Tirupathur district.

Periyakaruppan has urged the court to immediately intervene and direct authorities to retrieve and secure the allegedly misplaced postal ballots before including them in the final vote count for the Sivaganga constituency.

The petition also requests the court to instruct election authorities to produce video recordings related to the recount verification process conducted during vote counting.

The case has gained considerable political attention amid the rapidly changing political scenario in Tamil Nadu, where TVK has emerged as the single-largest party and is in the process of forming the next government.

Legal experts noted that the High Court’s decision on the interim plea could carry major significance given the razor-thin one-vote margin in the constituency. They pointed out that even a small discrepancy involving postal ballots could potentially alter the final outcome of the election.

The hearing is expected to be closely watched by political parties, election officials and legal observers as the dispute unfolds at a crucial moment in Tamil Nadu’s post-election political landscape.