Chennai. DMK supremo and former Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin has received a setback from the Madras High Court. Madras High Court Chief Justice Sushruta Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan's bench has rejected Stalin's plea for re-counting of all 100 per cent VVPAT slips of this year's elections in Kolathur assembly seat of Tamil Nadu. The Madras High Court bench did not consider Stalin's petition maintainable.
MK Stalin was the DMK candidate from Kolathur seat in the Tamil Nadu assembly elections this year. Stalin was defeated by the ruling TVK candidate VS Babu. After the results of Kolathur seat were declared, Stalin had filed a petition in the Madras High Court alleging irregularities in the EVMs. The DMK supremo had appealed to the High Court to declare VS Babu's election invalid and herself elected from Kolathur seat. Stalin had appealed in the petition that the Madras High Court should ask the Election Commission to re-count all the VVPAT slips of Kolathur seat. Stalin had also demanded investigation of all 286 EVMs.
Stalin had said in the petition that he had applied to the Election Commission for checking and verification of EVMs on May 7, 2026, only after the election results were declared, but the Election Commission started this process from July 29, after 45 days had passed. Stalin had said that as per the order of the High Court, five percent of the EVMs used in Kolathur i.e. 14 machines were to be tested, but out of the four machines of the first batch that were taken for testing, three stopped working. After which four other EVMs were taken. One of which was not working. Stalin said that the Election Commission delayed the investigation by 45 days. Due to which the petition could not be filed in the High Court on time. In such a situation, the provision of ban under Article 329 of the Constitution should not be applicable in their case.