Viralimalai
Viralimalai — AIADMK's Dr Vijayabaskar storms back with 62,073-vote margin
Dr C. Vijayabaskar of the AIADMK retains Viralimalai with a 62,073-vote margin over TVK's P. Murugesan, one of the largest swings of the 2026 election. The former state Health Minister under Edappadi K. Palaniswami first carried the seat in 2016, defeating DMK's M. Palaniappan by 8,447 votes (84,701 to 76,254). He defended it in 2021 with 102,179 votes and a 23,598-vote margin against the same Palaniappan. The 62K-vote 2026 lead is by far his biggest yet and reflects TVK eating into the DMK alliance vote in central Tamil Nadu.
Top 5 candidates
| # | Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | VIJAYABASKAR. C | AIADMK | 1,05,773 | 52.33% |
| 2 | MURUGESAN. P | TVK | 43,700 | 21.62% |
| 3 | CHELLAPANDIYAN. K.K | DMK | 40,397 | 19.99% |
| 4 | SATHYALAKSHMI. K | NTK | 9,467 | 4.68% |
| 5 | KARTHIKA PRAKASH | IND | 834 | 0.41% |
Postal ballot breakdown
| # | Candidate | Party | Postal votes | EVM votes | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | VIJAYABASKAR. C | AIADMK | 916 | 1,04,857 | 1,05,773 |
| 2 | CHELLAPANDIYAN. K.K | DMK | 513 | 39,884 | 40,397 |
| 3 | MURUGESAN. P | TVK | 236 | 43,464 | 43,700 |
| 4 | SATHYALAKSHMI. K | NTK | 78 | 9,389 | 9,467 |
| 5 | SELVARAJ. A | PT | 6 | 245 | 251 |
Source: Election Commission of India · Form 20 data via results.eci.gov.in
How this seat compares
- Top-10 biggest margin in TN 2026 — a 62,073-vote lead.
- Among the highest winner shares in TN 2026 — 52.3% of polled votes.
Past results
Verified winners and runners-up across the last five elections, with the major alliance partners each side fielded.
Viralimalai was created in the 2008 delimitation. Vijayabaskar has now held it for four straight cycles since 2011 (margins 39,309 → 8,447 → 23,598 → 62,073) — was Health Minister in the EPS government.
About Viralimalai
Viralimalai is the western reach of Pudukkottai district, drylands ringed by the Kaveri tributaries and the Pudukkottai-Trichy road. The Viralimalai Murugan temple, raised on the hill by Aditya Chola in the 9th century, is celebrated for its peacock sanctuary, where six species — including the green peafowl and grey peacock-pheasant — share the slope. Sittannavasal's 2nd-century-BC Jain caves with 7th-9th-century murals lie an hour away, the rare survival of early Indian Jain painting. The constituency is rainfed-agriculture and quarry country, and turnout is shaped by the Kallar-Mukulathor heartland that runs through Pudukkottai.
Peacock Hill & Jain Frescoes
Climb Viralimalai's Murugan hill — a 9th-century Aditya Chola shrine where six species of peacock, including the green peafowl, share the sanctuary slope. Drive on to Sittannavasal's Jain caves, 2nd-century-BC rock-cut shelters with 7th-9th-century frescoes that are among the rarest survivals of early Indian painting, and finish with Chettinad-edged kulambu in a Pudukkottai mess.
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