Notably, one of the seats in the Chennai Lok Sabha constituency, Virugampakkam, has been claimed by Sabarinathan R, the son of Vijay’s driver.
Who is Sabarinathan R?
Sabarinathan R, aged thirty, is a candidate from TVK who ran in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly election representing the Virugambakkam constituency in Chennai.
He finished his schooling at Vedha Vikas Matriculation Higher Secondary School in 2013 and went on to study Mechanical Engineering, earning his BTech from Dr MGR Educational and Research Institute in 2021. Prior to that, he completed a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering from the Department of Technical Education in 2016.
According to his election affidavit, Sabarinathan R has declared total assets amounting to approximately ₹25.7 lakh, with no liabilities. His movable assets consist of ₹2 lakh in cash and about ₹4.4 lakh in bank deposits, a health insurance policy valued at ₹5 lakh, a Royal Enfield Classic 350 motorcycle worth nearly ₹1.3 lakh, and gold jewelry weighing around 80 grams valued at close to ₹10 lakh.
Additionally, he possesses inherited agricultural land in the Pudukkottai district, worth ₹3 lakh. His annual income is reported to be around ₹4.9 lakh, and he has maintained a clean record with no criminal charges against him.
In the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly election, Sabarinathan R won the Virugambakkam seat by garnering 76,092 votes, defeating AMV Prabhakara Raja of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), who received 49,006 votes. The margin of victory was 27,086 votes.
“I am very happy with the win and deeply thankful to Vijay; he has ended DMK’s reign,” Sabarinathan expressed after receiving his certificate.
TVK has not only performed well in its inaugural election but has also disrupted the long-standing dominance of DMK and AIADMK, which have governed the state for many years.
