As Tamil Nadu heads towards a four-cornered contest in the upcoming Assembly elections, it would be interesting to see how the state has witnessed intense contests in the past. An analysis of the state’s parliamentary election results since 1967 shows that there have been cases where candidates have lost by less than 25 votes.
1967
The Madras Legislative Assembly elections of 1967 were historic in many ways. The DMK seized power for the first time, defeating the Congress and CN Annadurai became the Chief Minister. The state was later renamed Tamil Nadu.
It is significant that less than 1,000 votes decided the result in 17 parts of the council in these elections. In the Vanur assembly segment, a constituency reserved for scheduled castes, Balakrishnan of the DMK defeated Velayudham of the Congress by a margin of 70 votes.
1971
The 1971 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections were fought against the backdrop of a split in the Congress in 1969 that led to the formation of the Congress (O) by former Chief Minister K. Kamaraj. Both Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of the Congress (R) at the Center and Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi in the state have called for early elections.
By then, Karunanidhi had completed two years in power after Annadurai’s death in 1969. The election resulted in the DMK retaining power. However, in 11 assembly segments, the margin was less than 1,000 votes. In Sankarapuram in Villupuram district, DMK candidate N. Natchiyappan won by a margin of 72 votes against his nearest rival Duraimuthusamy of INC (O).
1977
The 1977 election was also historic. The ruling DMK split and veteran actor MG Ramachandran (MGR) launched the AIADMK in 1972. It was also the first election after the lifting of the state of emergency. Tt was a four-cornered contest between DMK, AIADMK, Congress and Janata Party. The AIADMK won the elections and MGR became the Chief Minister.
A notable feature of this election was that 24 candidates were elected by a margin of less than 1,000 votes. In Taramangalam in Salem district, S. Semmalai, who later became a key AIADMK leader and health minister, lost to R. Narayanan of the Congress by a margin of 19 votes. Similarly, in Thirumayam, now in Pudukkottai district, N. Sundararaj of the Congress defeated P. Ponnambalam of the AIADMK by 57 votes.
1980
In the 1980 Lok Sabha elections held after the fall of the Charan Singh-led Janata Party government, the DMK allied with the Congress, while the AIADMK allied with the Janata Party. The Congress returned to power at the center and Indira Gandhi became Prime Minister.
Following this, the Center dismissed the MG Ramachandran government in the state, though two years were left in its tenure. Parliamentary elections were held in the same year and the AIADMK retained power.
In these elections too, the margin of victory in 24 seats was less than 1000. In the Ilayankudi assembly segment, CPI candidate S. Sivasamy, then an ally of the AIADMK, narrowly defeated V. Malaikkannan of the DMK by 56 votes. In Sathyamangalam, R. Rangasamy of AIADMK CR defeated Rasappa of Congress by 60 votes. In Thiruvonam in Thanjavur district, AIADMK’s Durai Govindarajan lost to Congress’s N. Sivagnanam by 62 votes.
1984
1984 was a politically turbulent year for both India and Tamil Nadu. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated and her son Rajiv Gandhi, who succeeded her, dissolved the Lok Sabha to win a new mandate. In Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister MG Ramachandran, who was undergoing treatment in Chennai and later in the United States, decided to face the electorate a year before the end of his term. A strong wave of sympathy helped the AIADMK-Congress alliance secure victory.
However, no candidate was elected with a margin of less than 100 votes. The mandate was decisive, only three candidates won with a margin of less than 1,000 votes.
1989
The 1989 assembly elections were held after MG Ramachandran’s death in 1987, leading to a split in the AIADMK between factions led by his wife Janaki Ramachandran and J. Jayalalithaa. In a four-cornered fight between the DMK, the Congress and two factions of the AIADMK, the DMK returned to power after 13 years.
After being elected as the leader of the DMK Assembly, Dr. M. Karunanidhi along with other ministers paid homage and laid wreath at Anna Samadhi on January 25, 1989. | Photo credit: The Hindu
As many as 14 mandates recorded a margin between 200 and 1,000 votes.
1991
The parliamentary elections in 1991 were held under very unstable circumstances. The DMK government had earlier been sacked by the Center and the campaign was overshadowed by the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in Sriperumbudur. A massive wave of sympathy favored the AIADMK-Congress alliance, which secured a landslide victory. Jayalalithaa became the Chief Minister for the first time.
Due to the large mandate, only one part of the assembly saw a gain of less than 1,000 votes. DMK president M. Karunanidhi won the Harbor constituency by 890 votes against K. Supp of the Congress. The DMK’s only other winner was Parithi Ilamvazhuthi from Egmore, where the polls were canceled and held later.
1996
The 1996 elections were shaped by a strong wave against the AIADMK government amid widespread allegations of corruption. The Congress high command’s decision to ally with the AIADMK caused a split in the state unit, leading to the formation of the Maanila Tamil Congress under the leadership of GK Moopanar.
DMK formed a broad alliance with TMC and Left parties and swept the polls. Karunanidhi became Chief Minister while Jayalalithaa lost in Bargur. Given the decisive mandate, six seats were won by less than 1,000 votes, but none by less than 200.
2001
The 2001 elections witnessed major political changes. The AIADMK forged a broad alliance comprising the Congress, TMC, PMK and Left parties, while the DMK allied with the BJP, which was then in power at the centre. The AIADMK-led alliance secured a comfortable majority. Although Jayalalithaa was initially barred from contesting, she was sworn in as Chief Minister, later stepping down for O. Panneerselvam before returning after an acquittal.
In Nellikuppam, DMK’s E. Pugazhendi defeated TMC’s PRS Venkatesan by just 34 votes. In Egmore, DMK’s Parithi Ilamvazhuthi defeated B. John Pandian in the contest on AIADMK ticket by 86 votes. A total of nine mandates were won with a difference of less than 1,000 votes.
2006
The 2006 election was close. DMK allied with Congress, PMK and Left parties while AIADMK mainly allied with MDMK. The DMK emerged as the single largest party but fell short of a majority. With outside support, Karunanidhi formed the government.
As many as 17 candidates were elected with a margin of less than 1,000 votes. In Singanallur, AIADMK’s R. Chinnasamy defeated CPI (M)’s A. Soundararajan by just 14 votes. In Madurai East, N. Nanmaran of CPI (M) defeated M. Boominathan of MDMK by 51 votes. Interestingly, in Anicut, Pongalur and Thottiam constituencies, AIADMK, DMK and Congress candidates won by 53 votes each.
2011
The 2011 elections were affected by allegations of corruption at the Centre, of which the DMK was a part, and widespread power shortages in the state, fueling anti-DMK anti-establishment sentiment. The AIADMK formed a broad alliance that included the DMDK led by actor Vijayakanth and the Left parties. The alliance secured a sweeping victory, with Jayalalithaa returning as Chief Minister and Vijayakant emerging as Leader of the Opposition.
Eight representative seats saw winning margins of less than 1,000 votes.
2016
The 2016 election broke a three-decade trend as the ruling party retained power for the first time since 1980. The contest was multi-cornered, involving the AIADMK, the DMK-Congress alliance, the People’s Welfare Front comprising the VCK, the Left parties, the DMDK and the TMC (M), while the PMK fought alone. Jayalalithaa decided to field AIADMK candidates in all 234 constituencies and secured consecutive terms.
Sixteen candidates were elected with a margin of less than 1,000 votes. In Radhapuram, DMK’s M. Appav, who later became Assembly Speaker by winning this seat in the next election, lost to AIADMK’s IS Inbadurai by 49 votes. In Kattumannarkoil, VCK leader Thol. Thirumavalavan, contesting as part of the People’s Welfare Front, lost by 87 votes.
2021
The 2021 elections marked a new phase in Tamil Nadu politics as it was the first assembly election after the death of Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaa. The DMK-led alliance comprising the Congress, Left parties and the VCK cashed in on anti-establishment against the AIADMK government then led by Edappadi.K. Palaniswami. The AIADMK, allied with the BJP and the PMK, was defeated and MK Stalin became the Chief Minister for the first time. In this election, eight candidates were elected with a margin of less than 1,000 votes.
