Kanniyakumari
All 14 candidates
| # | Candidate | Votes · share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | N. Thalavai SundaramWonAIADMK All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | 75,04531.38% |
| 2 | R. MaheshDMK Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | 74,83131.29% |
| 3 | S. R. MadhavanTVK Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam | 72,97730.52% |
| Below this line, candidates lost their deposit: 39,720 votes or fewer, one-sixth of the 2,38,325 votes for all candidates | ||
| 4 | Maria Jennifer (lost deposit)NTK Naam Tamilar Katchi | 13,6895.72% |
| NOTANone of the above: not a candidate | 8250.34% | |
| 5 | S. Rajan (lost deposit)IND Independent | 4540.19% |
| 6 | J. Reagon Anto (lost deposit)TVAK Tamizhaga Vaazhvurimai Katchi | 3010.13% |
| 7 | K. Srikrishnakumar (lost deposit)TPMK Thamizhaka Padaippalar Makkal Katchi | 2060.09% |
| 8 | C. Sivalingam (lost deposit)NIP Naam Indiar Party | 1940.08% |
| 9 | M. Manavai Kannan (lost deposit)CPILR Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Red Star | 1400.06% |
| 10 | David Sahaya Bascar (lost deposit)IND Independent | 1170.05% |
| 11 | C. Ramakrishnan (lost deposit)IND Independent | 1070.04% |
| 12 | R. Sudhagar (lost deposit)IND Independent | 930.04% |
| 13 | S. Thanuneelan (lost deposit)IND Independent | 900.04% |
| 14 | T. Kanagaraj (lost deposit)IND Independent | 810.03% |
Kanniyakumari thriller — Thalavai Sundaram holds AIADMK seat
AIADMK's N. Thalavai Sundaram held off DMK's R. Mahesh narrowly in Kanniyakumari — the third-tightest result in Tamil Nadu in 2026. Sundaram won this seat in 2006, 2021 and 2026; the AIADMK's K. T. Patchaimal held it in 2011, and the DMK's S. Austin beat Sundaram in 2016 by 5,912.
The constituency sits at India's southernmost point — Cape Comorin — and historically trades between AIADMK and Congress-allied candidates.
Where Kanniyakumari was won
| Led by | Booths of 363 | Villages of 53 |
|---|---|---|
| N. Thalavai Sundaram AIADMK | 180 | 25 |
| R. Mahesh DMK | 114 | 16 |
| Others | 69 | 12 |
| Closest village | Marungoor: TVK ahead by 5 | |
N. Thalavai Sundaram’s biggest leads
- Madhusoothanapuram North+1,42913 booths
- Dharmapuram North+1,2327 booths
- Dharmapuram South+1,06210 booths
R. Mahesh’s best villages
- Boothapandi+1,93415 booths
- Mathavalayam+1,1144 booths
- Azhagiyapandipuram+1,10915 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
- General seat (not reserved)
- Lok Sabha seat
- Kanniyakumari
- Electors, 2026
- 2,88,867women 1,46,695 (50.8%) · men 1,42,078 (49.2%) · third gender 94
Sources · electoral roll, reservation: ECI · Lok Sabha seat: 2008 delimitation order
Postal ballot breakdown
Postal-ballot leader differs from overall winner. DMK MAHESH.R led postal ballots (1,645), but AIADMK THALAVAI SUNDARAM. N won the seat overall (75,045).
4,158 postal ballots · from polling staff, election-duty officers, absentee voters · counted before EVM rounds
| # | Candidate | Party | Postal votes | EVM votes | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | R. Mahesh | DMK | 1,645 | 73,186 | 74,831 |
| 2 | N. Thalavai Sundaram | AIADMK | 1,482 | 73,563 | 75,045 |
| 3 | S. R. Madhavan | TVK | 713 | 72,264 | 72,977 |
| 4 | Maria Jennifer | NTK | 274 | 13,415 | 13,689 |
| 5 | Nota | NOTA | 12 | 813 | 825 |
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 | 214 | 232nd | 11,416 |
| Winner’s share | 31.4% | 228th | 37.4% |
| Turnout | 82.8% | 178th | 86.9% |
| Votes cast | 2,39,150 | 35th | 2,08,471 |
| Candidates | 14 | =137th | 15 |
| NOTA votes | 825 | =105th | 784 |
| Since 2021 | AIADMK held the seat. In 2021 N. Thalavai Sundaram won it by 16,210 votes. | ||
Winners and runners-up, 2006–2026
2011, 2016 and 2021 rows: checked against the ECI detailed results. Earlier rows: secondary sources.
The 2008 delimitation kept the constituency's core territory intact (Cape coastal belt + Agastheeswaram) and standardised the spelling to 'Kanniyakumari' from 'Kanyakumari/Kannyakumari'. The 2011, 2016 and 2021 rows are ECI's figures.
About Kanniyakumari
Kanniyakumari is the southernmost assembly constituency in mainland India, covering Kanniyakumari town, the Agastheeswaram coastal belt, and the fishing hamlets from Kovalam Cape down to Cape Comorin where the Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean meet.
Congress has historically been strong here; AIADMK and DMK alliances have traded the seat since the 1980s. The 2008 delimitation kept the seat's centre of gravity intact while tidying panchayat allocations between this seat and neighbouring Nagercoil (AC 230).
Kanniyakumari & Cape Comorin
Kanniyakumari is where India ends in three oceans and a granite rock holds Swami Vivekananda's silence. Walk the Cape at dawn, ferry out to the Thiruvalluvar monolith, then drive inland to the Travancore wooden palace at Padmanabhapuram and the impossibly long Mathur aqueduct striding across the valley.
The fishing harbour wakes before the tourists, and the Suchindram temple's musical pillars still ring at dusk.
Plan your trip on TN Explorer →Quick answers
Who won Kanniyakumari in the 2026 Tamil Nadu election?
N. Thalavai Sundaram of AIADMK won Kanniyakumari (AC 229) in the April 2026 Assembly election with 75,045 votes, 31.38% of the votes polled, ahead of R. Mahesh of DMK by 214 votes.
Who is the MLA of Kanniyakumari?
N. Thalavai Sundaram of AIADMK was elected MLA for Kanniyakumari in April 2026 and sits in the 17th Tamil Nadu Assembly.
What was the turnout in Kanniyakumari in 2026?
Turnout was 82.8%: 2,39,150 of 2,88,867 electors voted.
Which district is Kanniyakumari in?
Kanniyakumari (constituency number 229) is in Kanniyakumari district, part of the Kanniyakumari Lok Sabha seat.
Who won Kanniyakumari before 2026?
In 2021 N. Thalavai Sundaram of AIADMK won by 16,210 votes over S. Austin. In 2016 S. Austin of DMK won by 5,912 votes over N. Thalavai Sundaram.
Sources: Form 20, booth-wise result (PDF)ECI result, AC 229
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