Oath-taking tomorrow: 4,000 cops deployed, 10 lakh people expected to attend

New DelhiMay 5, 2026 01:52 PM IST TVK’s Seenivasa Sethupathy R (right) and K.R. Periyakaruppan. (File)Actor-turned-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) won the Tiruppattur constituency in Tamil Nadu Assembly by a razor-thin margin of one vote, snatching the seat from a sitting DMK minister. TVK’s Seenivasa Sethupathy R won the seat with 83,375 votes, beating K.R. Periyakaruppan, the state government’s Minister of Co-operatives.TVK delivered a stellar performance in its electoral debut, winning 108 seats. The ruling DMK was reduced to 74 from 159 seats it had won in 2021 elections. The AIADMK managed to win 47 seats, dropping from 66 it won in 2021. The heaviest blow to the DMK came as Chief Minister M K Stalin lost his seat to the TVK’s VS Babu. Among other setbacks for the DMK are its losses in Chennai, once a symbol of its urban relevance. In 2021, the DMK swept all 16 seats in Chennai. But this time, the TVK swept most of the stronghold, leaving the DMK with only a handful of seats. In its campaign, the TVK has asserted that it ideologically leans to the centre-left and draws inspiration BR Ambedkar, Periyar and Kamaraj, stalwarts of social justice. It has called the BJP its “ideological opponent”, and the DMK its “political adversary” on grounds of dynastic politics. Currently, the TVK’s has a vote share of approximately 32 per cent, which roughly matches that of the DMK alliance. The state witnessed its highest-ever voter turnout for an assembly election with 85.1% casting their votes this year. The Express Global Desk at The Indian Express delivers authoritative, verified, and context-driven coverage of key international developments shaping global politics, policy, and migration trends. The desk focuses on stories with direct relevance for Indian and global audiences, combining breaking news with in-depth explainers and analysis. A major focus area of the desk is US immigration and visa policy, including developments related to student visas, work permits, permanent residency pathways, executive actions, and court rulings. The Global Desk also closely tracks Canada’s immigration, visa, and study policies, covering changes to study permits, post-study work options, permanent residence programmes, and regulatory updates affecting migrants and international students. All reporting from the Global Desk adheres to The Indian Express’ editorial standards, relying on official data, government notifications, court documents, and on-record sources. The desk prioritises clarity, accuracy, and accountability, ensuring readers can navigate complex global systems with confidence. Core Team The Express Global Desk is led by a team of experienced journalists and editors with deep expertise in international affairs and migration policy: Aniruddha Dhar – Senior Assistant Editor with extensive experience in global affairs, international politics, and editorial leadership. Nischai Vats – Deputy Copy Editor specialising in US politics, US visa and immigration policy, and policy-driven international coverage. Mashkoora Khan – Sub-editor focusing on global developments, with a strong emphasis on Canada visa, immigration, and study-related policy coverage. ... Read More Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd Tags: DMK Tamil Nadu

As the counting of votes for the Baramati Assembly bypoll is scheduled for May 4, the Nationalist Congress Party is confident that its candidate, Sunetra Pawar, will win by over 2 lakh votes—a victory margin the state has not seen yet.The NCP is also confident that Sunetra Pawar will break her husband’s record margin of victory of 1.65 lakh votes, which he achieved in the 2019 Assembly polls.”We are fully confident that Sunetra Pawar will win by a margin of over 2 lakh votes. And in the process, she will break Ajit Pawar’s record margin of victory,” NCP state president Sunil Tatkare told The Indian Express on Sunday. Sunetra Pawar’s win is a foregone conclusion. ”There are 22 independent candidates in the fray. Hardly anyone was seen campaigning. We believe they will collectively get no more than 5,000-10,000 votes. And there Sunetra Vahani is all set for a record victory,” said a close associate of Pawar. A huge turnout was expected during last month’s voting as a tribute to Ajit Pawar, who died in an air crash in January, necessitating the bypoll. The NCP was expecting above 70 per cent voting. However, Baramati registered only a 58.17 percent turnout. In all, 2.24 lakh voters exercised their franchise. The low turnout was attributed to the extreme heat conditions prevalent throughout Maharashtra in April. Sunetra Pawar was the only candidate from a major political party contesting the Baramati Assembly bypoll. All others, including Karuna Munde, estranged wife of NCP leader Dhananjay Munde, were contesting as independents. The independent candidates hardly made any impact; most of them not seen campaigning, said an NCP leader in Baramati. For her part, Sunetra Pawar also did not campaign extensively. She just met people in Baramati city during her regular morning walks. She was present only during the concluding-day rally in the city.Story continues below this ad However, her younger son, Jay Pawar, was at the forefront during the campaign period. Even her elder son, Parth Pawar, was missing from the campaign. An NCP leader said Parth was busy with his Rajya Sabha work. Jay Pawar criss-crossed the length and breadth of the Baramati constituency. NCP sources said he toured more than 100 villages and interacted with villagers. Besides Jay Pawar, at least 10-12 members of the Pawar family campaigned for Sunetra Pawar. This included two of Ajit Pawar’s nephews. One was Rohit Pawar, an MLA of the Opposition NCP (SP), and the other was Yugendra Pawar. Rohit’s parents and Yugendra’s parents also campaigned for Sunetra Pawar. Supriya Sule’s campaign for her sister-in-law Baramati MP Supriya Sule, also from the NCP (SP), was keen to participate in the campaigning. But she had apparently received no call from Sunetra Pawar, sources said. However, Sule attended the election rally on the concluding day of the campaign and appealed to voters to elect her ‘vahani’ (sister-in-law) by a big margin of votes.Story continues below this ad The Pawar family has never lost an election in Baramati, be it to the Assembly or Lok Sabha. Sharad Pawar first won the Baramati Assembly seat in 1967. He has never lost a poll in the constituency. Ajit Pawar’s elections since 1991 Ajit Pawar then took over from him when he contested the Baramati Assembly bypoll in 1991. Contesting on a Congress ticket, Ajit Pawar won the bypoll by a margin of 86,915 votes. He had secured 96,032 votes, and his main opponent BJP candidate K H Khanderao. In 1995, Ajit Pawar won by a huge margin of 77, 335 votes, defeating his nearest rival, an independent candidate. This was again on a Congress ticket. In 1999, after the NCP was formed, Ajit Pawar defeated an independent candidate by a margin of 50,336 votes.Story continues below this ad In 2004, Ajit Pawar won by a margin of 66,157 votes, defeating his nearest Shiv Sena rival. In 2009, he won by a margin of 1,02,927 votes. In 2014, he won by a margin of 89,000 votes by defeating his BJP rival. In 2019, he created a record in