Kadayanallur
Kadayanallur 2026: DMK's T.M. Rajendran flips seat by 6,253 votes
DMK ally T.M. Rajendran won Kadayanallur with 79,832 votes, holding off AIADMK incumbent C. Krishnamurali by 6,253 votes. The seat flips back to the DMK alliance after a single AIADMK cycle, with the polled vote topping 2.19 lakh and the IUML-backed Muslim trading vote returning to the DMK fold.
Top 5 candidates
| # | Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RAJENDRAN. T. M | DMK | 79,832 | 36.44% |
| 2 | C. KRISHNAMURALI | AIADMK | 73,579 | 33.58% |
| 3 | ABDUL JALEEL. R. K | TVK | 49,254 | 22.48% |
| 4 | ABUBACKER SIDDHEEQ | NTK | 10,965 | 5.00% |
| 5 | KAVITHA. R | IND | 2,882 | 1.32% |
Postal ballot breakdown
| # | Candidate | Party | Postal votes | EVM votes | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RAJENDRAN. T. M | DMK | 1,023 | 78,809 | 79,832 |
| 2 | C. KRISHNAMURALI | AIADMK | 954 | 72,625 | 73,579 |
| 3 | ABDUL JALEEL. R. K | TVK | 461 | 48,793 | 49,254 |
| 4 | ABUBACKER SIDDHEEQ | NTK | 152 | 10,813 | 10,965 |
| 5 | KAVITHA. R | PT | 97 | 2,785 | 2,882 |
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.
T.M. Rajendran contests on MDMK as part of the DMK-led alliance.
About Kadayanallur
Kadayanallur is a textile and powerloom town in Tenkasi district with one of the largest concentrations of Tamil Muslim weavers in southern Tamil Nadu. The constituency takes in the municipality plus the surrounding handloom and powerloom villages that supply the Madurai-Tirunelveli garment trade. The economy runs on weaving, dyeing, the Gulf-remittance flow and a steady cross-border trade with Kerala's Punalur belt. Politically the seat carries a strong IUML and AIADMK pull, with C. Krishnamurali winning it in 2021 before T.M. Rajendran flipped it for the DMK alliance in 2026; K.A.M. Muhammed Abubacker held it for IUML in 2016.
Plan a visit
Walk through Kadayanallur's powerloom lanes and the busy Friday bazaar, see the Jamia Masjid and the older Pettai mosque, and drive out to Courtallam's main falls and Tenkasi's Kasi Viswanathar temple for a longer southern circuit.
Plan your trip on TN Explorer →