DMK’s Periyakaruppan moves Madras HC to prevent TVK MLA from participating in vote of confidence

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) chief and former Minster Okay.R. Periyakaruppan, who misplaced by one vote correct throughout the Tamil Nadu Legislative Meeting elections 2026, has filed a writ petition within the Madras High Court to forestall his opponent Seenivasa Sethupathy of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) from participating within the have confidence vote to be held within the Insist Meeting on or earlier than Might maybe well fair 13, 2026.

A summer time vacation Bench of Justices L. Victoria Gowri and N. Senthilkumar is scheduled to rob up the writ petition for an urgent listening to correct through a particular sitting on Sunday (Might maybe well fair 10, 2026) since the petitioner had contended that the votes cast in his Tirupattur constituency in Sivaganga district weren’t recounted successfully and therefore the elected candidate mustn’t be allowed to rob half in any legislative task.

The judges will first make a resolution the maintainability of the writ petition earlier than going into the merits of the case.

The case assumes significance within the sunshine of Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar’s resolution to rearrange oath of situation of enterprise to Chief Minister designate C. Joseph Vijay on Sunday (Might maybe well fair 10, 2026) on the condition that he must detect the vote of self belief of the Legislative Meeting on or earlier than Might maybe well fair 13, 2026. Any court docket instruct combating Mr. Sethupathy from participating within the complaints would nick the strength of TVK by one vote within the House.

In 2021, Mr. Periyakaruppan had gained the Tirupattur seat with a joyful margin of 18% against Marudhu Alaguraj of AIADMK. Nonetheless, within the 2026 polls, he had a neck-to-neck fight against the TVK candidate and was main by 30 votes till the cease of the penultimate spherical of counting.

Nonetheless, after the final spherical, Mr. Sethupathy was declared to procure gained by a single vote.

Election officials stated the TVK candidate secured 83,365 votes against Mr. Periyakaruppan’s 83,364 votes. Though a recounting of votes was also held due to the the wafer thin margin, the writ petitioner wondered the technique and contended that the postal votes weren’t counted successfully. He inisisted that the video photos of the re-verification task wants to be produced in court docket to salvage out if it was performed as per the Handbook for the Returning Officers.

Pending adjudication of his predominant writ petition, the former Minister has also sought an intervening time direction restraining the TVK candidate, declared as a winner in Tirupattur constituency, from participating “in any legislative task within the 17th Tamil Nadu Legislative Meeting.”

If the court docket grants the intervening time instruct, the TVK MLA can also fair no longer be in a local to rob half within the vote of self belief to be performed within the Tamil Nadu Meeting.