Harur
Harur — AIADMK's Sampathkumar holds Kalrayan foothills by 3,329 votes
AIADMK's V. Sampathkumar held Harur — the Dharmapuri seat that climbs into the Kalrayan tribal belt — by just 3,329 votes over DMK's A. Shanmugam. Sampathkumar had taken the seat in 2021 by a 30,362-vote margin against CPM's A. Kumar; the 2026 contest was nine times tighter. AIADMK's R. Murugan won Harur in 2016 by 11,421 votes; before that, CPM's P. Dillibabu held the seat through both 2006 and 2011. The constituency has historically tilted toward CPM and the Left bloc — VCK, CPI and CPM have all carried it within living memory — making the 2026 result the third consecutive AIADMK hold and the seat's narrowest finish since the 2008 delimitation.
Top 5 candidates
| # | Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SAMPATHKUMAR. V | AIADMK | 75,523 | 35.07% |
| 2 | SHANMUGAM. A | DMK | 72,194 | 33.52% |
| 3 | RAKESH. K | TVK | 62,756 | 29.14% |
| 4 | ANITHA. A | NTK | 5,245 | 2.44% |
| 5 | NOTA | NOTA | 782 | 0.36% |
Postal ballot breakdown
Postal-ballot leader differs from overall winner. DMK SHANMUGAM. A led postal ballots (1,931), but AIADMK SAMPATHKUMAR. V won the seat overall (75,523).
| # | Candidate | Party | Postal votes | EVM votes | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SHANMUGAM. A | DMK | 1,931 | 70,263 | 72,194 |
| 2 | SAMPATHKUMAR. V | AIADMK | 1,460 | 74,063 | 75,523 |
| 3 | RAKESH. K | TVK | 1,071 | 61,685 | 62,756 |
| 4 | ANITHA. A | NTK | 190 | 5,055 | 5,245 |
| 5 | MARIKANNU. C | RPI( | 30 | 622 | 652 |
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.
Harur has a strong Left-and-VCK undercurrent — CPM held it in 2006 and 2011 (both Dillibabu wins), CPI in 2001, and VCK has been a frequent runner-up. AIADMK has held the seat for three straight cycles since 2016, but the 2026 margin of 3,329 is the seat's tightest result since the 2008 delimitation — a near-tenfold collapse from Sampathkumar's 30,362-vote 2021 cushion.
About Harur
Harur — AC 61 — sits in the eastern half of Dharmapuri district, where the plains lift into the Kalrayan range and the tribal belt that runs north toward the Yelagiri spur. The seat has a long Left history — CPM's P. Dillibabu held it across 2006 and 2011, CPI's V. Krishnamoorthy in 2001, and VCK has been a consistent runner-up — but AIADMK has held it through three consecutive cycles since 2016. The countryside is millet, groundnut and mango country, with Adi-Dravidar and Malayali tribal hamlets dotting the higher ground.
Harur & the Kalrayan Foothills
Harur is the doorway from Dharmapuri's plains into the Kalrayan range — Tamil Nadu's quieter tribal hill belt, where Malayali settlements still farm millets at 4,000 feet. Drive 60 km west to Hogenakkal Falls on the Cauvery for the coracle ride and the carp-fish lunch, or push up the Kalrayan ghat road past Periyamanthurai for cool air and the view down to the plains. The Theerthamalai Shiva temple — a Tevaram-praised sthalam on a granite outcrop — anchors the constituency's pilgrim circuit.
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