Tirupattur TVK MLA’s win by a single vote: Madras High Court reserves orders on plea to reject election petition
The Madras High Court has reserved its verdict on a plea to dismiss an election petition challenging the one-vote victory of TVK MLA R. Seenivasa Sethupathy. The petitioner, K.R. Periakaruppan, claims a postal ballot was misdirected due to two constituencies sharing the same name, while the defense argues that constituency numbers are the definitive identifiers.
Why it matters
This case highlights potential vulnerabilities in election administration and the legal complexities surrounding razor-thin electoral margins in democratic processes.
The Madras High Court has reserved its orders on a plea by Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), R. Seenivasa Sethupathy, to reject an election petition filed against his victory from the Tirupattur constituency in Sivaganga district by a razor-thin margin of just one vote in the 2026 polls.
Justice G.K. Ilanthiraiyan deferred his verdict on the plea to reject the election petition filed by former Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) Minister K.R. Periakaruppan, who contended that he lost the polls primarily because of the existence of two Legislative Assembly constituencies with the same name ‘Tirupattur’ in Tamil Nadu.
Mr. Sethupathy was declared elected on securing 83,375 votes as against 83,374 votes garnered by Mr. Periakaruppan. However, the DMK candidate claimed that a postal vote belonging to the Tirupattur constituency in Sivaganga district had been inadvertently sent to the Tirupattur constituency in Tirupattur district.
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