MK Stalin’s Kolathur challenge rejected: Madras HC dismisses plea over TVK’s poll victory

MK Stalin suffers a legal setback as Madras High Court rejects his Kolathur poll challenge, ruling the plea was not maintainable

PGurus Newsdesk

September 3, 2026

Kolathur election row: Madras High Court dismisses MK Stalin’s plea against V.S. Babu’s victory after allegations of EVM and VVPAT irregularities

Madras High Court dismisses MK Stalin’s plea challenging TVK’s V.S. Babu’s victory in Kolathur

For M.K. Stalin, the legal battle over his shock defeat in Kolathur has hit another roadblock. The Madras High Court on Thursday dismissed his plea challenging the election result, holding that the petition was not maintainable.

Stalin, the DMK president and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, had challenged the victory of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) candidate V.S. Babu, alleging irregularities in the post-election verification of electronic voting machines and VVPAT units.

The court’s ruling effectively leaves Babu’s victory intact. A detailed copy of the order is awaited.

Stalin had sought to reopen Kolathur result

The 2026 Assembly election delivered a stunning result in Kolathur, a constituency Stalin had represented since 2011. Babu defeated him by 8,795 votes, polling 82,997 votes against Stalin‘s 74,202.

Stalin subsequently sought verification of 14 EVM sets — representing 5% of the 286 machines used in the constituency — under the mechanism prescribed following Supreme Court directions.

His petition later pointed to alleged problems uncovered during the verification exercise, including VVPAT failures, discrepancies in address tags and alleged chain-of-custody issues at some polling stations. Stalin also highlighted an allegation involving a Control Unit at one polling station failing to detect a Ballot Unit carrying his name.

ECI challenges maintainability of plea

The Election Commission of India opposed Stalin’s writ petition, arguing that a challenge to an election must be pursued through an election petition under the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

The ECI relied on Article 329(b) of the Constitution, which restricts courts from entertaining election challenges except through the prescribed legal route. It argued that a writ petition could not be used to bypass that mechanism.

Stalin’s lawyers countered that the EVM verification was a separate post-result process and that the alleged defects surfaced only after the verification took place. Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal argued that Stalin had applied for verification within the stipulated period, but the exercise began only after the deadline for filing an election petition had expired.

A setback after a dramatic Kolathur defeat

The ruling adds another complication for Stalin following the DMK leader’s defeat in a constituency that had been his electoral stronghold.

His challenge had sought not only to invalidate Babu’s election but also to have Stalin declared the returned candidate. With the High Court now dismissing the plea as not maintainable, the immediate legal challenge through this petition has failed.

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