The 2026 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election was held on 23 April 2026 to elect all 234 members of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly in India. Votes were counted on 4 May 2026. Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) emerged as the largest party with 108 seats, followed by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) with 59 and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) with 47. No party secured the 118 seats required for an absolute majority in the full assembly. TVK leader C. Joseph Vijay subsequently became chief minister on 10 May. (newsonair.gov.in)
Principal contestants
The governing Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, led by Chief Minister M. K. Stalin, contested alongside allies including the Indian National Congress. The principal opposition formation was led by the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam under Edappadi K. Palaniswami and included the Bharatiya Janata Party. Vijay’s TVK provided a separate major electoral contender. Campaigning by the three formations continued into April, with the campaign period ending on 21 April. (newsonair.gov.in)
The preceding election, held in 2021, had returned a DMK-led alliance with 159 seats, including 133 won by the DMK. The AIADMK had won 66 seats, while its alliance held 75. These figures provided the principal parliamentary baseline against which the 2026 outcome was measured. (indianexpress.com)
Schedule and participation
The Election Commission of India announced the election schedule on 15 March 2026. Polling took place in a single phase across all 234 constituencies on 23 April, followed by counting on 4 May. (newsonair.gov.in)
Ahead of polling, the state’s chief electoral officer reported 57,343,291 registered electors and 75,064 polling stations. Election arrangements included general, police and expenditure observers, together with micro-observers assigned to monitor polling procedures. (newsonair.gov.in)
Turnout data released before counting recorded 48,798,833 voters, equivalent to approximately 85.1% of the registered electorate. This was reported as the highest turnout in the state’s assembly-election history. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
Results
The Election Commission’s party-wise results recorded the following allocation of seats. These are the results of the general election, rather than a statement of subsequent party strengths following vacancies or by-elections. (results.eci.gov.in)
| Party | Seats won |
|---|---|
| Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam | 108 |
| Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | 59 |
| All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | 47 |
| Indian National Congress | 5 |
| Pattali Makkal Katchi | 4 |
| Indian Union Muslim League | 2 |
| Communist Party of India | 2 |
| Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi | 2 |
| Communist Party of India (Marxist) | 2 |
| Bharatiya Janata Party | 1 |
| Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam | 1 |
| Amma Makkal Munnettra Kazagam | 1 |
| Total | 234 |
TVK finished ten seats short of an absolute majority in the full chamber. The election therefore produced a hung assembly, requiring negotiations over support for government formation. The DMK and AIADMK both returned fewer legislators than in 2021. (results.eci.gov.in)
Government formation
Following negotiations, Vijay obtained support from Congress, the Communist Party of India, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi and the Indian Union Muslim League. He was sworn in as chief minister on 10 May 2026, alongside nine ministers, and was directed by the governor to demonstrate the assembly’s confidence by 13 May. His appointment made him the first Tamil Nadu chief minister since 1967 who belonged to neither the DMK nor the AIADMK. (newsonair.gov.in)
On 13 May 2026, the new government won its confidence motion by 144 votes to 22, with five members abstaining. The DMK walked out before voting, while 25 AIADMK legislators voted in favour of the government. The confidence-vote alignment thus differed from the parties’ electoral alignments and enabled the TVK-led administration to demonstrate legislative support despite lacking an outright majority of its own. (indianexpress.com)
References
- Tamil Nadu Assembly Election Results 2026 — Party Wise, Constituency Wiseindianexpress.com
- Campaigning gears up for assembly elections in Tamil Nadunewsonair.gov.in
- Evening News, March 15, 2026newsonair.gov.in
- Tamil Nadu: 5.73 crore voters to elect representatives for 234 constituencies on April 23newsonair.gov.in
- Election Commission releases final data: 4.88 crore people voted in Tamil Nadutimesofindia.indiatimes.com
- Vijay to take oath as Tamil Nadu CM on Sunday 10 am as VCK, IUML extend supportnewindianexpress.com
- TVK founder C. Joseph Vijay takes oath as Tamil Nadu Chief Ministernewsonair.gov.in
- Vijay sails through floor test as 25 rebel AIADMK MLAs cross-vote in Tamil Nadu Houseindianexpress.com
- TVK govt wins trust vote with support from Cong, Left; DMK walks out, AIADMK dividedtheprint.in