Chidambaram
Chidambaram 2026: DMK's Thamimun Ansari ends AIADMK's two-term hold by 5,747
DMK's M. Thamimun Ansari won Chidambaram with 69,739 votes, ahead of AIADMK's K. A. Pandian on 63,992. The 5,747-vote margin breaks Pandian's two-term run; he had won by 1,506 votes in 2016 and 16,937 in 2021.
Top 5 candidates
| # | Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | THAMIMUN ANSARI. M | DMK | 69,739 | 35.99% |
| 2 | PANDIAN. K.A | AIADMK | 63,992 | 33.02% |
| 3 | NEDUNCHEZHIYAN | TVK | 54,584 | 28.17% |
| 4 | THAMIZH | NTK | 6,169 | 3.18% |
| 5 | NOTA | NOTA | 816 | 0.42% |
Postal ballot breakdown
| # | Candidate | Party | Postal votes | EVM votes | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | THAMIMUN ANSARI. M | DMK | 1,173 | 68,566 | 69,739 |
| 2 | PANDIAN. K.A | AIADMK | 1,166 | 62,826 | 63,992 |
| 3 | NEDUNCHEZHIYAN | TVK | 639 | 53,945 | 54,584 |
| 4 | THAMIZH | NTK | 155 | 6,014 | 6,169 |
| 5 | NOTA | NOTA | 39 | 777 | 816 |
Source: Election Commission of India · Form 20 data via results.eci.gov.in
Past results
Verified winners and runners-up across the last five elections, with the major alliance partners each side fielded.
About Chidambaram
Chidambaram is the temple-town seat of Cuddalore district, anchored by the 12th-century Thillai Nataraja temple, one of the five Pancha Bhoota Sthalas of Shiva. The AC covers Chidambaram, Bhuvanagiri and parts of the coastal Killai-Pichavaram belt. Around 193,800 voters polled this cycle. The seat has a left-and-Muslim-vote complexion: CPI(M)'s K. Balakrishnan won here in 2011 by 2,879 votes, AIADMK's Pandian flipped it in 2016 by just 1,506, expanded the margin in 2021, and has now lost to the DMK's Thamimun Ansari, a familiar face in Tamil Nadu's Muslim politics.
Nataraja temple and Pichavaram
The Thillai Nataraja temple's golden roof and the Chit Sabha shrine are the obvious headline. Pair it with the Pichavaram mangrove boat ride at Killai, the Vaitheeswaran Koil shrine, and the Annamalai University campus, which gives the town its student-pulse character.
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