Vote counting has begun across all 234 Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu, India, with early trends showing a closely watched debut performance by Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).

The new entrant, led by actor-turned-politician Vijay, opened its account strongly in postal ballot trends and, according to early trends, TVK emerged as the single largest party ahead of both the DMK and AIADMK.

TVK is confident of forming govt in the state "without any support" said party leader Felix Gerald said.

Vijay is currently leading in Tiruchirappalli East after the first round of counting, as results from the Tamil Nadu assembly elections began coming in on Monday.

Vijay, making his electoral debut, is contesting from both Tiruchirappalli East and Perambur seats, with the early performance seen as crucial for his party’s first major political test in the state.

TVK is contesting the elections independently, taking on the NDA alliance led by AIADMK and the BJP, while the DMK-led alliance, along with Congress, is seeking to retain power.

In Tiruchirappalli East, DMK candidate Inigo Irudayaraj is trailing in the initial round, according to early counting trends.

The entry of TVK has added a triangular contest to Tamil Nadu politics, which has traditionally been dominated by DMK and AIADMK-led alliances.

Early trends also suggest that around 15 TVK candidates are leading in different constituencies, including G Ramamoorthi in Tiruchirappalli West, Senthil Kumar N in Srivaikuntam, Saravanan G in Thiruvottiyur and Sathish Christopher in Radhapuram.

Supporters of TVK gathered early outside the party headquarters as counting began at 8 am under tight security across Chennai and other centres.

The process began with postal ballots at 8 am, followed by EVM counting from 8.30 am. Results are being updated in real time on the ECINET platform and the Election Commission’s official portal.

While exit polls had largely projected a continuation of DMK-led rule, early trends suggest a competitive start to the counting process.

Tamil Nadu is among four states and a Union Territory where results are being declared following polling held on April 23, with a second phase in West Bengal on April 29.

At the Queen Mary’s College counting centre, postal ballot counting also began early, with DMK initially taking a lead in the very early trends.