Kolathur
Stalin loses Kolathur — TVK flips his seat by 8,795 votes
Sitting Chief Minister M. K. Stalin lost the seat he had held since it was first contested. TVK newcomer V. S. Babu took Kolathur by 8,795 votes — the most symbolic single result in Tamil Nadu in 2026. Stalin had won here in 2011 (by just 2,734 votes, the year DMK was wiped out statewide), then by 37,730 in 2016, and a 70,384-vote landslide in 2021. The aquarium-and-dairy belt of north Chennai handed the new party Vijay founded its biggest scalp.
Top 5 candidates
| # | Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | V. S. BABU | TVK | 82,997 | 45.51% |
| 2 | M. K. STALIN | DMK | 74,202 | 40.69% |
| 3 | P. SANTHANA KRISHNAN | AIADMK | 18,430 | 10.11% |
| 4 | SOUNDARA PANDIAN LUDER SETH | NTK | 5,046 | 2.77% |
| 5 | NOTA | NOTA | 892 | 0.49% |
Postal ballot breakdown
Postal-ballot leader differs from overall winner. DMK M. K. STALIN led postal ballots (982), but TVK V. S. BABU won the seat overall (82,997).
| # | Candidate | Party | Postal votes | EVM votes | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | M. K. STALIN | DMK | 982 | 73,220 | 74,202 |
| 2 | V. S. BABU | TVK | 383 | 82,614 | 82,997 |
| 3 | P. SANTHANA KRISHNAN | AIADMK | 215 | 18,215 | 18,430 |
| 4 | SOUNDARA PANDIAN LUDER SETH | NTK | 34 | 5,012 | 5,046 |
| 5 | SUBASHINI | BSP | 10 | 226 | 236 |
Source: Election Commission of India · Form 20 data via results.eci.gov.in
How this seat compares
- One of the most crowded ballots in TN 2026 — 36 candidates on this single seat.
Past results
Verified winners and runners-up across the last five elections, with the major alliance partners each side fielded.
Kolathur was created by the 2008 delimitation; its first contest was 2011. Pre-2008, the area was split across the old Perambur, Villivakkam and Madhavaram-edge segments. Stalin won the seat the year his party was wiped out statewide (2011) by just 2,734 votes, grew that to 70,384 in 2021, then lost 8,795 in 2026.
About Kolathur
Kolathur is a north Chennai assembly seat created by the 2008 delimitation — its very first contest was in 2011, and Stalin won all three editions (2011, 2016, 2021). The constituency is bordered by Retteri Lake on the south and the Madhavaram dairy belt on the north; Paper Mills Road, running through the heart of Kolathur, hosts Asia's largest ornamental-fish trade. "Madhavaram paal" is Chennai shorthand for Aavin's morning milk, and that co-op dairy hub sits inside this constituency.
Kolathur
Kolathur is where north Chennai exhales — Retteri Lake on one flank, the Madhavaram dairy belt and botanical garden on the other, and Paper Mills Road in the middle running Asia's largest ornamental-fish trade. Come at dawn for the Aavin milk run and lake walkers, stay for the goldfish breeders who quietly ship colour across India. Puzhal reservoir's sunsets and the Siruvapuri Murugan temple are short drives north on the GNT Road.
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