Bhubaneswar, May 4 -- In a dramatic turn during the ongoing Tamil Nadu vote count, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) candidate VS Babu has pulled off a major upset by defeating Chief Minister M. K. Stalin in the Kolathur assembly constituency-long regarded as a stronghold of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.

After 22 rounds of counting for the April 23 election, Babu surged ahead with more than 82,000 votes, while Stalin trailed with over 74,000. P. Santhana Krishnan of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam finished a distant third, polling just above 18,000 votes.

Babu's victory is particularly striking given his long and varied political career. He previously served as an MLA from Purasawalkam between 2006 and 2011 and once held key ...