Captain Vijayakanth, a two-time legislator, had lost, polling only 34,447 votes.
Highlights
- Actor-turned-politician Vijayakanth's DMDK-led third front draws a blank
- Loses deposit on his seat after polling less than a sixth of valid votes
- AIADMK wins 134 seats in state's 234-member assembly; DMK wins 98 seats
The result at Tamil Nadu's Ulundurpettai delivered an upset today as popular and charismatic actor Vijayakanth -- the state's most sought after ally -- lost. He also lost his deposit under an Election Commission rule that comes into play only when the candidate polls less than one-sixth of the valid votes.
The winner was AIADMK's R Kumaraguru. The verdict was in line with the one delivered in the rest of the state, which had voted back Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, bucking a 34-year trend of alternating power between the two major parties.
In the process, the Captain, a two-time legislator, had lost, finishing as a distant third with 34,447 votes, trailing DMK's GR Vasanthaval.
As the trends became clear, Twitter was flooded with jokes and memes. Some even joked that the jokes were from the members of the disappointed DMK.
The 'Captain' had become a valuable ally, winning 41 seats in 2011 and becoming the third largest party in the state. He became part of the ruling coalition after an alliance with Jayalalithaa's AIADMK, but a year later, the alliance came to an end.
"We were with Jayalalithaa first. But I got angry with her for hiking milk prices and bus fares," he had told NDTV.
This time he had spurned the DMK, choosing to stitch up a Third Front with the People's Welfare Front - an alliance of four parties that includes the CPI(M), the CPI, Vaiko's MDMK and Thol Thirumavalavan's Dalit party VCK --as its Chief Ministerial candidate. "Karunanidhi turns everything to his advantage," he had told NDTV.
The DMK has got 98 seats - an addition of 67, but it is still way behind AIADMK, which has won 134 seats in the 234-member assembly.