Even before organizing a much-publicised 45-hour meditation in Kanyakumari, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited the southern region of Tamil Nadu several times, seeking out party veterans. In all, he visited Tamil Nadu seven times, hoping to shore up the party’s prospects in a state where voters have always despised the cowbelt party. But when the day comes to count, everything has come to nothing.
While the DMK led a broad alliance of parties of all stripes, the BJP was not far behind, bringing together a coalition of the PMK and various parties and independents. But even Sowmiya Anbumani, the wife of the PMK chief, who led at various times during the day, lost the prestigious Dharmapuri seat by a narrow margin.
MK Stalin with Rahul Gandhi in Mumbai. File Photo/Ashish Raje
Another BJP candidate, its state president K. Annamalai, faced failure in Coimbatore after a costly and high-voltage campaign. The party could not make a dent even in its favorite southern districts.
The DMK swept its bastion Chennai and allies like Congress, CPI, CPM and VCK took care of the rest.
DMK members at the party headquarters in Chennai hold a portrait of MP Stalin as they applaud the release of vote counts. Photo/AFP
Big improvement
But it is not all bad news for the BJP. The party has secured a significant share of votes in these elections, even finishing second with a few seats ahead of the AIADMK in places like Theni, Ramanathapuram, Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari.
From a meager 3.6 percent in 2019, the party has tripled it this time, surpassing 10 percent of the vote for the first time. Not bad for a match that used to compete against NOTA. (The DMK alliance has seen a slight decline, going from around 50 percent of the vote in 2019 to around 40 percent of the vote this time. Although it did not win anything, the ADMK managed to secure a vote share of 20 percent hundred. .)
Prime Minister Modi with K Annamalai during campaigning.
Cake of humility for ADMK
Annamalai has often said that going it alone was a great way to find out where the party stood in the state. She now she knows. The same happened with the ADMK, which felt slighted by the national party for its alleged arrogance and abandoned an alliance.
While the ADMK has managed to keep its core base intact, the state’s educated middle class, spanning all castes and communities, and a large section of the youth appear to have been misled by the BJP’s rhetoric. This can only be a danger sign for the DMK, which cannot rest on its laurels.
Naam Tamilar Katchi chief Seeman campaigning. Photos/X
All eyes on 2026
In the coming years, Tamil Nadu’s political landscape could undergo seismic changes. On the one hand, the DMK will seek a second term in two years, largely thanks to the same alliance.
The ADMK would like to believe that it will be the main rival when it comes time for parliamentary elections. But the BJP and the far-right ultranationalist NTK have seen steady increases in their vote share from election to election. In 2026, they could make the battle for power in the state a legitimate fight between four sides.
950
Number of candidates in the running
39
Number of parliamentary constituencies in Tamil Nadu
38
Number of seats won by the DMK-led alliance in the 2019 elections
‘Baahubali’ moment for Stalin
‘Baahubali’, that’s what Chief Minister MK Stalin said to describe the turnout at the Coimbatore rally led by him and top Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in April and said “the entire BJP was overwhelmed” by that only public meeting.
With the DMK and its allies far ahead in all 39 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state and 1 in neighboring Puducherry, the outcome as Stalin-led Dravidian party looks set to be similar to the success of the popular film Baahubali.
The Stalin-led alliance’s electoral success streak began in the 2019 LS elections and since then, be it civic polls or 2021 Assembly elections, it has been a sweet victory for the DMK, Congress and other allies, including left-wing parties.
Stalin used to say that the alliance led by his party was a ‘Kolgai kootani’, based on ideology and ensuring cohesion between partners, and reiterated in the run-up to the elections that the INDIA bloc would win all 40 seats.