Karaikudi
Karaikudi — TVK's Dr Prabhu TK rolls Congress by 46,074 votes in Chettinad heartland
Karaikudi has been one of Congress's safest Tamil Nadu seats — INC's S. Mangudi held it in 2021 with a 21,589-vote margin and K. R. Ramasamy carried it in 2016 by 18,283 votes. In 2026 the seat flipped completely: TVK's Dr Prabhu TK dispatched Mangudi himself by 46,074 votes, more than double the 2021 margin. Karaikudi voted INC five times since 2001, paused only by H. Raja's narrow BJP win in 2001 and an AIADMK swing in 2011.
Top 5 candidates
| # | Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DR.PRABHU. TK | TVK | 1,01,358 | 44.57% |
| 2 | MANGUDI. S | CONG | 55,284 | 24.31% |
| 3 | DHERPOKI V.PANDI | AMMK | 33,352 | 14.67% |
| 4 | SEEMAN | NTK | 30,793 | 13.54% |
| 5 | NEWTON BABU. C | IND | 796 | 0.35% |
Postal ballot breakdown
Postal-ballot leader differs from overall winner. INC MANGUDI. S led postal ballots (867), but TVK DR.PRABHU. TK won the seat overall (1,01,358).
| # | Candidate | Party | Postal votes | EVM votes | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MANGUDI. S | INC | 867 | 54,417 | 55,284 |
| 2 | DR.PRABHU. TK | TVK | 731 | 1,00,627 | 1,01,358 |
| 3 | SEEMAN | NTK | 316 | 30,477 | 30,793 |
| 4 | DHERPOKI V.PANDI | AMMK | 286 | 33,066 | 33,352 |
| 5 | KARUPPIAH. K | RPI( | 13 | 577 | 590 |
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 Karaikudi
Karaikudi is the cultural capital of Chettinad — the seat of the Nattukottai Chettiar trading community whose 19th-century mansions, built with Burma teak, Athangudi tiles and Belgian mirrors, still line the streets of Kanadukathan and Kothamangalam. The town gives its name to a GI-tagged cuisine of pepper-heavy chicken, crab and fish kuzhambu cooked on firewood. Thirumayam Fort sits 30 km north on the road to Pudukkottai, and the Pillayarpatti rock-cut Vinayagar shrine is half an hour west. Heritage hotels like The Bangala and Visalam have turned old mansions into a quiet luxury circuit.
Karaikudi & Chettinad country
Karaikudi is Chettinad's capital — Nattukottai Chettiar mansions in Kanadukathan and Kothamangalam, hand-pressed Athangudi tile floors, and the GI-tagged Chettinad kitchen (kozhi Chettinad, nandu masala, pepper chicken). Drive 30 km to Thirumayam's hilltop fort, stop at Pillayarpatti's rock-cut Vinayagar, and bed down at The Bangala or Visalam.
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