Madurai West assembly polls 2026: TVK’s Thangapandi SR defeats DMK’s Balaji R

Thangapandi SR of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has secured victory in Madurai West, defeating Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s Balaji R.In the 2021 Assembly elections, AIADMK’s Sellur K. Raju won with 83,883 votes, defeating DMK’s Chinnammal C. by a margin of 9,121 votes. In the 2016 Assembly elections, AIADMK’s Sellur K. Raju retained the seat with 82,529 votes, defeating DMK’s G. Thalapathi by 16,398 votes. In the 2011 Assembly elections, AIADMK’s Sellur K. Raju won with 94,798 votes, defeating DMK’s G. Thalapathi. Overall, since 1977, the AIADMK has won the constituency seven times while the DMK has secured victory three times. The 234-seat Assembly election in Tamil Nadu will see the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), led by Chief Minister M. K. Stalin, take on the opposition All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and a resurgent BJP-led alliance. The campaign is centred around issues such as welfare schemes, law and order, and the broader debate between Dravidian political identity and national integration narratives. While the DMK government is highlighting its record on industrial growth and social justice, the opposition has targeted it over allegations of corruption and concerns about power shortages.