With the campaigning ending on Tuesday evening, the stage is set for the 2026 Assembly election in Tamil Nadu that could go down as one of the most interesting political battles the State has witnessed in a long time.

The ruling DMK, led by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, and the Opposition AIADMK, led by former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, remain the major players that lead multi-party alliances. However, NTK chief coordinator Seeman and actor and TVK founder C. Joseph Vijay, the latest entrant to State politics, threaten to disrupt the bipartisan politics the State has seen over the past five decades. Both stand alone on the strength of their parties.