The political battle over Tamil Nadu’s dramatic one-vote election result intensified on Tuesday after the C. Joseph Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) moved the Supreme Court challenging the Madras High Court’s interim order restraining party MLA R. Srinivasa Sethupathi from voting in the Assembly.
The Madras High Court had earlier barred Srinivasa Sethupathi, who won the Tirupattur Assembly constituency by just one vote against former DMK minister K. R. Periyakaruppan, from participating in Assembly proceedings, including the upcoming confidence motion of the newly formed TVK government.
According to court proceedings, the interim injunction was issued by a vacation bench comprising Justices L. Victoria Gowri and N. Senthilkumar following a petition filed by Periyakaruppan. The DMK leader has sought a recount of votes, alleging irregularities involving a postal ballot that was reportedly rejected after being sent to the wrong Tirupattur constituency.
Election Commission figures show Srinivasa Sethupathi secured 83,365 votes, while Periyakaruppan received 83,364 votes in one of the closest contests of the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
The development comes at a sensitive moment for the newly sworn-in TVK government headed by Chief Minister Vijay, which is scheduled to face a floor test in the Assembly on Wednesday. TVK emerged as the single-largest party in the 2026 Assembly elections and later secured outside support from allied parties to form the government.
The Supreme Court is now expected to hear TVK’s challenge urgently as political attention remains fixed on whether a single disputed vote could alter the balance of power in Tamil Nadu.