Gudalur
All 6 candidates
| # | Candidate | Votes · share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | M. DhravidamaniWonDMK Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | 65,59043.37% |
| 2 | Pon JayaseelanAIADMK All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | 42,75728.27% |
| 3 | A. Deepak Sai KishoreTVK Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam | 34,96223.12% |
| Below this line, candidates lost their deposit: 25,061 votes or fewer, one-sixth of the 1,50,370 votes for all candidates | ||
| 4 | R. Karthik (lost deposit)NTK Naam Tamilar Katchi | 6,1994.10% |
| NOTANone of the above: not a candidate | 8710.58% | |
| 5 | N. Thilagaraj (lost deposit)IND Independent | 4430.29% |
| 6 | S. K. Raj (lost deposit)VTVTK Veerath Thiyagi Viswanathadoss Thozhilalarkal Katchi | 4190.28% |
Gudalur DMK gain — Dhravidamani takes back the Nilgiris border seat
DMK's M. Dhravidamani took back Gudalur — Tamil Nadu's north-westernmost assembly seat, sitting on the Kerala border at the gateway to the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve — over AIADMK's Pon. Jayaseelan. Pon. Jayaseelan had won it for the AIADMK in 2021 by 1,945 votes; before that Dhravidamani held it for the DMK in 2011 and 2016 (as M. Thiravidamani).
Gudalur is one of TN's smallest electorates by size, drawn around the Pandalur–Cherambadi tea-estate belt, the Mudumalai forest fringe and a substantial Kattunayakan tribal population — and a steady Malayali voter share given the seamless Wayanad–Gudalur corridor.
Where Gudalur was won
| Led by | Booths of 238 | Villages of 11 |
|---|---|---|
| M. Dhravidamani DMK | 184 | 8 |
| Pon Jayaseelan AIADMK | 44 | 3 |
| Others | 10 | 0 |
| Closest village | Masinagudi: DMK ahead by 77 | |
M. Dhravidamani’s biggest leads
- Nelliyalam+7,46560 booths
- Gudalur+5,22344 booths
- O'Valley+2,74024 booths
Pon Jayaseelan’s best villages
- Moonad+34910 booths
- Sree Madurai+2416 booths
- Mudumalai+1542 booths
Counted from Form 20, booth by booth (vote leads are in votes cast at the booth; postal ballots are counted for the whole seat only).
Every village and booth
The constituency
- Reservation
- Reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC)
- Lok Sabha seat
- Nilgiris (SC)
- Electors, 2026
- 1,85,398women 95,481 (51.5%) · men 89,910 (48.5%) · third gender 7
Sources · electoral roll, reservation: ECI · Lok Sabha seat: 2008 delimitation order
Postal ballot breakdown
1,421 postal ballots · from polling staff, election-duty officers, absentee voters · counted before EVM rounds
| # | Candidate | Party | Postal votes | EVM votes | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | M. Dhravidamani | DMK | 664 | 64,926 | 65,590 |
| 2 | Pon Jayaseelan | AIADMK | 489 | 42,268 | 42,757 |
| 3 | A. Deepak Sai Kishore | TVK | 206 | 34,756 | 34,962 |
| 4 | R. Karthik | NTK | 51 | 6,148 | 6,199 |
| 5 | Nota | NOTA | 8 | 863 | 871 |
Source: Election Commission of India · Form 20 data via results.eci.gov.in
How this seat compares
| Measure | This seat | Rank | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winning margin, votes | 22,833 | 53rd | 11,416 |
| Winner’s share | 43.4% | 51st | 37.4% |
| Turnout | 81.6% | 190th | 86.9% |
| Votes cast | 1,51,241 | 220th | 2,08,471 |
| Candidates | 6 | =228th | 15 |
| NOTA votes | 871 | 95th | 784 |
| Since 2021 | DMK took the seat from AIADMK. In 2021 Pon. Jayaseelan won it by 1,945 votes. | ||
Winners and runners-up, 2006–2026
2011, 2016 and 2021 rows: checked against the ECI detailed results. Earlier rows: secondary sources. Two-part pill: alliance leader first, then the candidate's party.
Dhravidamani won Gudalur in 2011 and 2016 (as M. Thiravidamani, DMK) and again in 2026; AIADMK's Pon. Jayaseelan won it in between, in 2021, by 1,945 votes. ECI lists the seat as Gudalur (SC).
About Gudalur
Gudalur (AC 109) is Tamil Nadu's north-westernmost assembly constituency, in The Nilgiris district. The seat covers Gudalur and Pandalur taluks, the Cherambadi tea estates, and the Tamil-side gateway to the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, which extends north into Karnataka's Bandipur.
The Kerala border runs along the western edge — the Wayanad–Gudalur corridor and the Mananthavady road give the seat a steady Malayali voter and trade footprint. The constituency holds one of TN's largest Kattunayakan tribal populations, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group concentrated in the forest-fringe panchayats.
Gudalur & Mudumalai
Gudalur is the Nilgiris' quieter west — a tea-estate slope tipping into Mudumalai's elephant corridor, where the Tamil hills meet the Kerala plateau. Drive the Theppakadu safari at first light, then climb to Pykara's lake-and-falls or down to Cherambadi's clipped tea hedges.
Push another hour west and Wayanad's Edakkal caves and Banasura Sagar dam open up; push east and Ooty's Botanical Gardens are 50 km of hairpin bends away.
Plan your trip on TN Explorer →Quick answers
Who won Gudalur in the 2026 Tamil Nadu election?
M. Dhravidamani of DMK won Gudalur (AC 109) in the April 2026 Assembly election with 65,590 votes, 43.37% of the votes polled, ahead of Pon Jayaseelan of AIADMK by 22,833 votes.
Who is the MLA of Gudalur?
M. Dhravidamani of DMK was elected MLA for Gudalur in April 2026 and sits in the 17th Tamil Nadu Assembly.
What was the turnout in Gudalur in 2026?
Turnout was 81.6%: 1,51,241 of 1,85,398 electors voted.
Which district is Gudalur in?
Gudalur (constituency number 109) is in The Nilgiris district, part of the Nilgiris (SC) Lok Sabha seat.
Who won Gudalur before 2026?
In 2021 Pon. Jayaseelan of AIADMK won by 1,945 votes over S. Kasilingam. In 2016 M. Thiravidamani of DMK won by 13,379 votes over S. Kalaiselvan.
Sources: Form 20, booth-wise result (PDF)ECI result, AC 109
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