Madras HC Dismisses MK Stalin’s Plea Challenging Vijay Team's Kolathur Victory
Stalin seeks a recount and full VVPAT verification after alleging malfunctions in 14 voting machines and asking the court to void VS Babu’s win.
- On Thursday, September 3, 2026, the Madras High Court dismissed a writ petition filed by DMK president M.K. Stalin seeking 100% VVPAT counting in the Kolathur Assembly constituency to overturn TVK MLA V.S. Babu's victory.
- Stalin lost his Kolathur stronghold to Babu in the 2026 state assembly elections and alleged the Election Commission of India delayed verification of 5% of EVMs, preventing him from filing a timely election petition within 45 days.
- During verification ending August 5, 2026, Stalin's representative N.R. Elango identified anomalies in 14 EVMs, prompting a request for re-verification of all 286 voting machines based on a 2024 Supreme Court verdict.
- Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan refused to entertain the petition, accepting the ECI's argument that election outcomes must be challenged through election petitions, not writ petitions.
- Senior counsel G. Rajagopalan and Dama Seshadri Naidu, representing the ECI, warned that permitting such writ petitions would open a "Pandora's box," potentially flooding courts with similar election challenges.
22 Articles
22 Articles
MK Stalin Suffers Setback As Madras HC Junks Plea Over Poll Defeat In Kolathur Bastion
<p>DMK chief MK Stalin suffered a setback on Thursday after the Madras High Court dismissed his plea seeking 100 per cent counting of VVPAT slips in Tamil Nadu's Kolathur Assembly constituency, where he suffered a surprise defeat in the 2026 Assembly elections.</p> <p>Stalin has also sought the invalidation of TVK's VS Babu's election and a declaration that he be elected from the constituency. Babu defeated Stalin, who had represented Kolathur s…
Madras HC dismisses MK Stalin's plea seeking EVM, VVPAT verification in 2026 Assembly polls
The Madras High Court dismissed MK Stalin's challenge to VS Babu's election win from Kolathur, ruling his plea for VVPAT counting and EVM.MK Stalin, Madras High Court, election petition, VVPAT verification, EVM tampering, Kolathur election, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, VS Babu, election results, VVPAT slips, technical diagnosis, chain of custody, ballot units, control units, election commission
Setback for MK Stalin as Madras High Court dismisses plea over poll defeat in Kolathur
The Madras High Court dismissed DMK president MK Stalin's plea over his defeat to TVK leader VS Babu in the Kolathur assembly constituency in the 2026 Tamil Nadu elections. The court, which will issue a detailed order later, called Stalin's not maintainable.
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