ECI Tamil Nadu election results highlights: Vijay wins both Perambur, Trichy East seats; TVK short of majority mark

ECI Tamil Nadu election results highlights: Actor-turned politician Vijay of TVK, Edappadi K. Palaniswami of AIADMK and MK Stalin of DMK were the key faces of the Tamil Nadu Assembly election 2026.

ECI Tamil Nadu election result highlights: Actor-turned-politician Vijay’s TVK has secured victory in 105 constituencies, taking a lead in the Tamil Nadu election results. The ruling DMK, meanwhile, has won 58 seats and is leading in two, while its ally Congress has registered a win in five constituencies. The AIADMK has won 46 seats and is leading in one as of 11 pm, according to the Election Commission figures.

The ECI began counting the votes for the 234 constituencies of the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Monday (May 4), with results to follow throughout the day.

In the 2026 poll battle, the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-Congress alliance, led by chief minister MK Stalin, was looking to retain power, while the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK)-BJP camp was aiming to take control of the state. Adding a fresh twist to the contest was actor-turned-politician Vijay and his party TVK (Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam), which achieved its aim of a remarkable debut.

Election results LIVE: Check outcome today for Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu.

The magic number to form a government in the state is 118, out of 234 total seats.

The DMK-led alliance contested 164 constituencies, while its ally Congress fought on 28 seats. On the other side, the AIADMK contested on 167 seats, BJP on 27, Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) on 18, and TTV Dhinakaran’s AMMK was allotted 11 seats.

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What Exit Polls predicted for Tamil Nadu

Exit polls largely suggest an edge for the ruling DMK-led alliance in the TN poll, though projections vary.

• People Pulse predicted 125–145 seats for the DMK-led alliance and 65–80 seats for the AIADMK-BJP combine, while projecting 2–6 seats for TVK.
• Matrize projected 122–132 seats for DMK and allies, 80–100 for AIADMK alliance, and 0–6 for TVK.
• P-MARQ estimated 125–145 seats for DMK-led alliance, 60–70 for AIADMK-led bloc, and 1–6 seats for TVK.
• However, Axis My India projected a tighter race, giving 92–100 seats to the DMK+, 22–32 seats to AIADMK+, and a strong debut of 98–120 seats for Vijay’s TVK.
• It also suggested Vijay was slightly ahead of Stalin as the preferred chief minister candidate, with 37 per cent support compared to 35 per cent.

Three-tier security in place outside counting centres

The election commission deployed a three-tier security system at counting centres to ensure a smooth process for the counting of votes. In total, 10,545 personnel have been deployed for counting duty, supported by 4,624 micro-observers to maintain transparency and integrity throughout the process, ECI official had said.

A 100-metre perimeter around each counting centre forms the first security layer, restricting entry to authorised personnel only.

The second layer at entry gates will be managed by State Armed Police to control access and prevent unauthorised movement. Mobile phones will be allowed only in designated areas.

The third and innermost layer, covering counting halls and EVM strong rooms, was secured by Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), with strict frisking rules in place.

The counting covers votes from all 75,064 polling stations and postal ballots received across the state. The election commission has set up 62 designated counting centres for the exercise.

What was the voting percentage in Tamil Nadu?

The Tamil Nadu Assembly elections were held in a single phase on April 23, recording a historic turnout of 84.69 per cent, the highest since Independence for the state. The previous best was 78.29 per cent in 2011.

The electorate included over 5.73 crore voters, comprising 2,93,04,905 women, 2,80,30,658 men, and 7,728 third-gender voters. There were also 14,59,039 first-time voters and 68,501 service voters, with 4,18,541 postal votes already recorded.

Region-wise, Karur topped turnout at 92.62 per cent, while Kanniyakumari recorded the lowest at 75.61 per cent. In Chennai, Perambur—where Vijay is contesting—recorded 89.73 per cent turnout, while Mylapore stood at 74.89 per cent. Kolathur, the seat of Stalin, saw 86.11 per cent polling.

What happened in 2021 assembly election?

In the last assembly elections, held in 2021, DMK won 133 seats and Congress got 18 seats.

The NDA alliance saw AIADMK contest 191 seats and win 66. The BJP contested 20 seats and won 4, while PMK contested 23 seats and won 5.

Since the death of its iconic leader Jayalalithaa in 2017, AIADMK has been struggling with a declining political phase.