In Vellore on 13 May 2001, a television set is provided at the counting center for the agents to collect the election results and monitor the election process. Photo credit: D. Gopalakrishnan
The wait between voting and counting in an election is always a nerve-wracking time for politicians and voters. While the gap between polling (April 23) and counting (May 4) is only 10 days in the current Tamil Nadu Assembly election period, there have been instances where such a waiting period has been more than 30 days.
The Madras State Legislative Assembly elections of 1967, a watershed moment that rewrote the state’s political destiny when the DMK dethroned the Congress, took place after the delimitation exercise. The number of constituencies was expanded from 206 to 234. Elections were held in three phases on February 15, February 18 and February 21. However, only 233 mandates applied for the vote. Elections to the Thirumangalam constituency in Madurai were canceled due to the death of a candidate and were held on 29 April that year. Counting of the main stages began on February 23.
Published – 29 Apr 2026 06:06 IST
