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Kolathur election dispute and legal challenge

Updated 2 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

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2026-08-31 16:54 UTC → 2026-09-03 06:34 UTC · added removed

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party raised allegations regarding the integrity of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in Chennai’s Kolathur Assembly constituency. Initially, party officials claimed that approximately 30% of inspected machines showed discrepancies, such as improper sealing or missing address tags. While election officials dismissed these as “minor clerical errors” and maintained that vote counts were accurate, the DMK expressed dissatisfaction with the verification process. Following these disputes, DMK president M. K. Stalin escalated the matter by filing a writ petition in the Madras High Court. The petition seeks to nullify the election of MLA V. S. Babu, representing the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam party, and requests that Stalin be declared the elected representative. Stalin is requesting a 100% count of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips and the verification of all 286 machines used in the constituency. The legal challenge cites technical malfunctions, specifically noting that a VVPAT unit failed during a mock poll and another ceased functioning during the inspection of 14 selected EVM sets. Stalin also alleges an inordinate three-month delay between his May 7 application for verification and the process commencing on July 29. Furthermore, the plea argues that improper labeling and sealing of ballot and control units caused a breach in the chain of custody, undermining electoral fairness. The On September 3, 2026, the Madras High Court is now set to determine dismissed the maintainability writ petition. The court rejected Stalin’s request for a 100 per cent counting of this legal challenge. VVPAT slips and the re-verification of all EVMs. In the 2026 state assembly elections, V. S. Babu won the seat by a margin of 8,795 votes, preventing Stalin from securing a fourth consecutive term in Kolathur.

Versions

  1. 2026-09-03 06:34 UTC Kolathur election dispute and legal challenge
  2. 2026-08-31 16:54 UTC Kolathur election dispute and legal challenge
  3. 2026-08-25 03:38 UTC Kolathur election dispute and legal challenge

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