Tamil Nadu Assembly Election Results 2026 LIVE Updates: Tamil Nadu’s verdict day brings a familiar face-off with a hint of disruption. Counting for 234 Assembly seats begins at 8 am today (Monday). The contenders: the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-led alliance looks to hold its ground, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) aims to claw its way back after its 2021 defeat and actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) tests whether the state is ready to move beyond its two-party pattern.
Record turnout, high stakes: Tamil Nadu voted in a single phase on April 23, recording a historic 85.1 per cent voter turnout, the highest since Independence. More than 5.7 crore voters cast their ballots across more than 75,000 polling stations, deciding the fate of over 4,000 candidates. The electorate included over 2.93 crore women, 2.83 crore men, and more than 7,700 third-gender voters. The surge in turnout signals strong mobilisation, but whether it benefits the incumbent or fuels anti-incumbency will only become clear as counting progresses.
LIVE: West Bengal Election Result
Story continues below this ad
What do exit polls predict? Despite some anti-incumbency noise, most polls favour the DMK. Matrize’s exit poll projected the DMK-led alliance at 122-132 seats, with the AIADMK-NDA alliance at 87-100 and TVK at 10-12. However, Axis My India is projecting Vijay’s TVK as the single largest party, getting between 98 and 120 seats.
Previously, in 2021 Assembly Elections: The DMK alliance swept the previous Assembly elections, winning 159 seats and comfortably crossing the majority mark of 118, ending AIADMK’s decade-long rule. The DMK alone contested 188 seats and won 133, paving the way for M K Stalin to become Chief Minister. The AIADMK-led alliance won 75 seats, with the AIADMK itself winning 66 of 191 seats, while allies BJP and PMK, secured 4 and 5 seats, respectively.
