Tamil Nadu

Assembly Election 2026

A first-time party (and an actor) has displaced six decades of Dravidian politics in one election.

108 TVK
59 DMK
47 AIADMK

Declared May 5, 2026  |  Total seats: 234  |  Majority mark: 118  |  Voter turnout: 85.1%

FINAL RESULT

A new force topples the Dravidian duopoly

By party

108
TVK
Single largest party - debut
59
DMK
Down from 133 in 2021
47
AIADMK
Down from 66 in 2021

By alliance

108
TVK
Solo contest - no alliance
72
DMK Alliance
DMK 59 + INC 5 + IUML 2 + VCK 2 + CPI 2 + CPIM 2
53
AIADMK Alliance
ADMK 47 + PMK 4 + AMMK 1 + BJP 1

DMDK 1 (independent of alliances)  |  Total: 234 of 234 declared

Other winners

5 INC 4 PMK 2 IUML 2 VCK 2 CPI 2 CPI(M) 1 BJP 1 DMDK 1 AMMK

FIVE-YEAR SHIFT

2021 vs 2026 - the political earthquake

Party Seats 2021 Seats 2026 Δ Seats Vote % 2021 Vote % 2026 Δ Vote %
TVK-108▲ 108-34.92%▲ 34.92
DMK13359▼ 7437.70%24.19%▼ 13.51
AIADMK6647▼ 1933.29%21.21%▼ 12.08
INC185▼ 134.27%3.37%▼ 0.90
BJP41▼ 32.62%2.97%▲ 0.35
PMK54▼ 13.97%--
NTK (solo)0006.89%4.00%▼ 2.89

KEY INSIGHT

DMK lost 13.5 percentage points of vote share. AIADMK lost 12.1. Together: ~26 points moved to TVK and minor parties - the steepest single-cycle shift in TN history.

VOTE SHARE

TVK lone runner among 234-seat contestants

TVK leads by 11 points

First-time party. 34.92% - bigger than any single 2026 alliance partner.

DMK + AIADMK = 45%

The Dravidian duopoly's combined share, down from 71% in 2021.

NTK held 4%

Naam Tamilar Katchi contested all 234 seats but won none - vote share without alliance reach.

EFFICIENCY

Three-corner contest rewarded TVK disproportionately

WHO BENEFITED?

TVK

+11.2 pts seat-vs-vote bonus

Three-corner splits handed TVK pluralities even in 35-40% wins.

DMK & ADMK

Roughly seat-fair to vote-share.

NTK & BJP

4% and 3% vote share - almost zero seat conversion (no alliance for NTK; AIADMK alliance failed BJP).

GOVERNMENT FORMATION

TVK 11 seats short of majority - hung assembly

MAJORITY MARK

118

TVK SEATS

108

(After Vijay vacates 1 seat: 107)

SHORT BY

11

THE 14-DAY DECISION

Vijay won both Trichy East and Perambur

Per Section 70 of the Representation of People Act 1951, he must vacate one seat within 14 days. The vacated seat goes to a by-election within 6 months.

HUNG ASSEMBLY PROCESS

1Governor invites the single largest party (TVK) to prove majority within 7-15 days
2If TVK fails, Governor may invite the largest pre-poll alliance
3If no government forms, President's Rule under Article 356 - fresh elections within 6 months

COALITION MATH

Who could give TVK its 11 seats?

Option A - Big tent

TVK + AIADMK

155

seats together

108 + 47. Stable majority (155 ≥ 118). But politically explosive - direct rivals through campaign. Past TN politics shows post-poll realignments do happen (1996, 2001).

Most stable, least likely

Option B - Pick from minor parties

TVK + 11 from various

118+

seats together

INC 5 + PMK 4 + DMDK 1 + others = 11+. Requires breaking parties from existing alliances. Most fluid and most likely first attempt.

Most likely path

Option C - Last resort

President's Rule

356

Article (Constitution)

If TVK and alliances cannot agree, Governor recommends Article 356. Central govt rules directly; fresh elections within 6 months.

If all else fails

Available: INC (5)  ·  PMK (4)  ·  IUML (2)  ·  VCK (2)  ·  CPI (2)  ·  CPI(M) (2)  ·  BJP (1)  ·  DMDK (1)  ·  AMMK (1)  =  20 minor seats

BIG LOSERS

High-profile defeats - incumbents wiped out

Party leaders who lost

M.K. Stalin
DMK CM - Kolathur
-8,795
to TVK
Tamilisai Soundararajan
BJP, ex-Governor - Mylapore
-28,972
to TVK
L. Murugan
BJP Union Minister - Avanashi
-8,965
to TVK
Vanathi Srinivasan
BJP National Mahila - Coimbatore (N)
-13,143
to TVK

DMK Cabinet ministers who lost

Ma. Subramanian
Health Minister - Saidapet
-26,967
P. Moorthy
Tamil Devt Minister - Madurai East
-16,121
Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi
Education Minister - Thiruverumbur
-6,689
T.M. Anbarasan
Cooperation Min. - Alandur
-22,853
P. Geetha Jeevan
Tribal Welfare Min. - Thoothukkudi
-34,607
Duraimurugan
Water Resources Min. - Katpadi (3rd place)
-

MARGIN STORY

From Edappadi's 98K landslide to Tiruppattur's 1-vote thriller

CLOSEST EVER

Tiruppattur (Sivaganga) - TVK won by 1 vote

83,375 vs 83,374  ·  Seenivasa Sethupathy (TVK) beat Periakaruppan KR (DMK)

Top 5 highest margins

Edappadi
EPS - fortress hold
ADMK
98,110
Madavaram
TVK debut huge swing
TVK
94,985
Poonamallee
Chennai outskirts
TVK
66,776
Salem (West)
Western TN sweep
TVK
64,045
Ponneri
Northern Chennai
TVK
52,239

Top 5 closest contests

Tiruppattur (Sivaganga)
TVK over DMK - historic 1 vote
TVK
1
Sholavandan
TVK over DMK - photo finish
TVK
40
Kumbakonam
DMK over TVK
DMK
86
Bargur
Late-round flip from TVK
ADMK
442
Polur
Over DMDK's Saravanan
TVK
491

EVERY SEAT

All 234 constituencies

Search, sort, filter. Click any column header to sort.

Constituency AC No. Winner Party Runner-up Party Margin

THE VERDICT IN ONE LINE

A first-time party - and an actor - has displaced six decades of Dravidian politics in one election.

What to watch next

14 days

Vijay's seat decision

Trichy East or Perambur - keeps one, vacates one. Symbolic and strategic.

Within 30 days

Coalition negotiations

Governor invites TVK first. AIADMK, INC, PMK become kingmakers if TVK pulls 11 from minor parties.

By Q4 2026

By-election or President's Rule

Vacated seat goes to by-poll within 6 months. If govt doesn't form, Article 356 triggers re-election.

REFERENCES

Sources & methodology

PRIMARY DATA - ELECTION COMMISSION OF INDIA

REFERENCE & CONTEXT

  • 2021 historical comparison
    Wikipedia: 2021 / 2026 TN Legislative Assembly elections
  • Constitutional procedure
    Article 356 (President's Rule); Article 174 (Assembly summons)
  • Vacating dual seats
    Section 70, Representation of People Act 1951
  • Form-20
    ECI authoritative final per-booth data (released ~Day 2)

Methodology: Numbers reflect ECI portal as of May 5, 2026 (all 234 declared). Final ECI Form-20 may show minor variances.