Tamil Nadu Elections 2026: Who Is Sabarinathan R, Vijay's Driver's Son? - Leading Or Trailing In Virugambakkam

Virugampakkam Election Results 2026: As counting continues across Tamil Nadu on May 4, one of the closely watched constituencies is Virugambakkam, where Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam candidate R. Sabarinathan is in the fray. Early trends indicate a competitive contest, with Sabarinathan currently holding the lead. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam candidate Prabhakara Raja is trailing, though counting is still underway and the final outcome remains undecided.

Sabarinathan has drawn attention during this election cycle not just as a first-time candidate, but also due to his personal background and association with C. Joseph Vijay. The 30-year-old is the son of Rajendran, who has long worked as Vijay's driver and later as part of his close team. This connection brought Sabarinathan into the spotlight soon after his candidature was announced.

A video from the party's candidate announcement event had gone viral earlier this year, showing an emotional moment where Sabarinathan broke down on stage, with Vijay consoling him. The clip circulated widely on social media, adding to public curiosity about the relatively new entrant in politics.

Who Is Sabarinathan R?

Before entering the political arena, Sabarinathan had pursued engineering and worked abroad. He was employed in Qatar for a period before deciding to return to Chennai. According to his own accounts, the decision to shift from a stable job to active politics was not straightforward and involved discussions within his family. His father had initially preferred that he continue in his professional career.

Sabarinathan eventually joined TVK and became actively involved in party work in Virugambakkam, where he grew up. Over time, he took on organisational responsibilities and was later named the party's candidate for the constituency. His campaign has focused on local issues such as infrastructure gaps and neighbourhood-level concerns, which he has said he is familiar with.

Virugambakkam has seen a multi-cornered contest this time, reflecting the broader electoral dynamics in the State. While early leads favour the TVK candidate, the margins are still evolving as more rounds of counting are completed.

As trends continue to shift through the day, Sabarinathan's performance in his electoral debut remains one to watch, particularly given the attention surrounding his candidature and the wider context of TVK's first Assembly election.