Colachal
Colachel — Congress holds Kanyakumari coastal seat by 2,833 votes, one of just 5 INC wins in TN 2026
Colachel has been Congress territory for two decades. J. G. Prince won three straight terms (2011 by 11,821, 2016 by 26,028, 2021 by 24,832), succeeding S. Jeyapaul (INC, 2006) and ending AIADMK K. T. Pachaimal's 2001 run. In 2026 INC's Tharahai Cuthbert kept the seat — but only just, holding off TVK's Prem Alex Lawrence by 2,833 votes. Colachel is one of only five seats Congress won in Tamil Nadu's 2026 election.
Top 5 candidates
| # | Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | THARAHAI CUTHBERT | CONG | 66,207 | 33.70% |
| 2 | PREM ALEX LAWRENCE | TVK | 63,374 | 32.26% |
| 3 | SIVAKUMAR. T | BJP | 54,384 | 27.68% |
| 4 | ANCY SHOBA RANI. L | NTK | 12,458 | 6.34% |
| 5 | NOTA | NOTA | 581 | 0.30% |
Postal ballot breakdown
| # | Candidate | Party | Postal votes | EVM votes | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | THARAHAI CUTHBERT | INC | 1,017 | 65,190 | 66,207 |
| 2 | SIVAKUMAR. T | BJP | 971 | 53,413 | 54,384 |
| 3 | PREM ALEX LAWRENCE | TVK | 573 | 62,801 | 63,374 |
| 4 | ANCY SHOBA RANI. L | NTK | 226 | 12,232 | 12,458 |
| 5 | NOTA | NOTA | 13 | 568 | 581 |
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 Colachal
Colachel is a fishing harbour on the Kanniyakumari coast and the site of the Battle of Colachel in 1741, when the Travancore navy under Marthanda Varma defeated the Dutch East India Company — counted as the first Asian naval victory over a European power and a turning point that ended Dutch ambitions on the Malabar coast. The town's coast still runs on catamaran fleets and a deep-sea fishing trade. Padmanabhapuram Palace, 15 km inland at the old Travancore capital, is the largest wooden palace in Asia, and the constituency stretches into a coconut-and-banana belt that bleeds into Kerala.
Colachel & the Travancore coast
Colachel is the harbour where Travancore's navy beat the Dutch in 1741 — the first Asian naval defeat of a European power. Walk the breakwater past the catamaran fleet, then drive 15 km inland to Padmanabhapuram Palace, Asia's largest wooden palace, set in the coconut-and-banana belt that runs into Kerala.
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