The Madras High Court has barred R Srinivasa Sethupathi, the MLA-elect from the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), from taking his oath due to a challenge from his rival, KR Periyakaruppan of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). Periyakaruppan lost the election for the Tirupattur constituency by a mere one vote, with Sethupathi receiving 83,365 votes against Periyakaruppan's 83,364 votes. The DMK leader has raised concerns about potential lapses in the counting of postal votes. This court ruling means Sethupathi will be unable to participate in an upcoming trust vote, which is crucial for the TVK to confirm its majority in the newly-elected assembly. The TVK, led by superstar actor Vijay, won 108 seats in the recent elections, though it needs 118 seats for a simple majority. Despite the setback with Sethupathi, the TVK is expected to retain a majority with support from allied parties, even if he cannot vote in the trust vote scheduled for Wednesday.