Tamil Nadu Election Date 2026: Voting details, seats, electors, main players and other key numbers
Tamil Nadu Election Date 2026: Discover essential information on voting details, seat distribution, number of electors, and the major political players as the state gears up for an exciting electoral battle.
Tamil Nadu Election Date 2026: Voting for all 234 assembly seats of Tamil Nadu will be held in a single phase on 23 April. The votes will be counted on 4 May, the Election Commission of India announced on Sunday, 15 March.
The term of the incumbent Tamil Nadu assembly will end on 10 May. So a new government has to be sworn in before this date.
In the 2021 Tamil Nadu assembly polls held in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), led by MK Stalin, swept to power after a decade in opposition, winning 133 seats on its own. The DMK, along with Congress and other partners in the Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA), won 159 out of 234 seats in the Tamil Nadu Assembly.
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the AIADMK and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), won 75 seats, of which 66 were won by the AIADMK.
This election, actor Vijay's newly- launched Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) is expected to challenge the DMK, the AIADMK, and the BJP as an independent force
Key details about Tamil Nadu Elections 2026
-Date of issue of gazette notification : 30 March
-Last date for making nominations : 6 April
-Date for the scrutiny of nominations : 7 April
-Last date for the withdrawal of candidature : 9 April
-Tamil Nadu has 234 seats. This includes 188 general, 44 SC and two ST seats.
-All assembly seats vote in a single phase on 23 April.
-Results will be announced on 4 May.
-Tamil Nadu has 5.67 crore voters. Of these, 2.7 crore are men and 2.8 Crore are women. There are 7,617 third gender voters in Tamil Nadu.
-Tamil Nadu has 75,032 polling stations. This includes 30,967 urban voters and -44, 065 rural votes.
-Tamil Nadu has 265 model polling stations
-All 75,032 polling stations of Tamil Nadu will have a webcasting facility.
The alliance details in Tamil Nadu
In Tamil Nadu, the fight is usually between the DMK and AIADMK – the two Dravidian parties. The BJP and the Congress – the two national parties – are usually junior alliance partners.
The Congress party will contest 28 assembly seats in the upcoming 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections as part of an alliance with the ruling DMK. The Congress party contested 25 seats in the 2021 polls, winning 18, as part of the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance(SPA).
The NDA is close to finalising its seat-sharing arrangement for the forthcoming Assembly election. The AIADMK is keen to contest around 165–170 seats out of Tamil Nadu assembly's 234 seats.
The BJP could be allotted around 29 seats, while TTV Dhinakaran’s Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) may get nine seats and the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) about 18 seats. Smaller alliance partners are likely to be given one or two constituencies each.
- The 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections will take place on April 23.
- A total of 234 seats are up for grabs, including general, SC, and ST categories.
- Tamil Nadu has approximately 5.67 Crore voters, highlighting the importance of voter participation.
About the Author
Gulam Jeelani is Political Desk Editor at LiveMint with over 16 years of experience covering national and international politics. Based in New Delhi, Jeelani delivers impactful political narratives through breaking stories, in-depth interviews, and analytical pieces at LiveMint since February 2024. The expertise in video production fuels his current responsibilities, which include curating content and conducting video interviews for an expanding digital audience.<br><br> Jeelani also travels during elections and key political events and has covered assembly elections in key states apart from national elections. He has previously worked with The Pioneer, Network18, India Today, News9Plus and Hindustan Times.<br><br> Jeelani’s tenure at LiveMint and previous experience at print and digital newsrooms have honed his skills in creating compelling text and video stories, explainers, and analysis that resonate with a diverse viewership.<br><br> Before moving to New Delhi in 2015, Jeelani was based in Uttar Pradesh, where he worked for five years as a reporter. In 2018, Jeelani was one of the two Indian journalists selected for the Alfred Friendly Fellowship in the US. There, he attended training workshops on reporting and data journalism, and he was attached to the Minneapolis Star Tribune in Minnesota, where he worked as a reporter.<br><br> Jeelani is a Bachelor's in Chemistry and holds a Masters Degree in journalism and mass communication from Aligarh Muslim University. Outside work, he enjoys poetry, cricket and movies.
Catch all the live action on Assembly Election Results 2025, exclusive coverage from the streets of Bihar, minute- by-minute trend and tally analysis, and Latest News Updates on Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates. Check latest updates on Bihar Chunav.