The Tamil Nadu state election has produced a shocking result, with the political debutant Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) finishing first with 107 seats, leaving behind the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) led alliances.
The result marks a return to a triangular political landscape in Tamil Nadu after 50 years, with the median effective number of parties (ENOP) crossing three for the first time since the 1977 elections.
The TVK's stellar debut has inflicted huge pain on both the DMK and AIADMK, with the DMK recording its worst ever contested vote share in the state and the AIADMK losing 23 of its strongholds.
The DMK alliance is better off than AIADMK due to its allies, with the DMK alliance having a much larger tally than AIADMK in the new assembly.
The poor performance of the BJP, which contested the highest number of assembly constituencies among the AIADMK's allies, carries a larger message for the AIADMK and other parties in the state.
