Kumarapalayam
Kumarapalayam 2026: TVK's Vijayalakshmi ends Thangamani three-term run
Three-time AIADMK MLA P. Thangamani lost the seat he had treated as personal turf since 2011. TVK's C. Vijayalakshmi polled 81,179 votes to Thangamani's 73,483, taking the constituency by 7,696 votes in a 22-candidate contest. The Bhavani-bank textile belt has not flipped since the seat was created in 2008.
Top 5 candidates
| # | Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | C.VIJAYALAKSHMI | TVK | 81,179 | 39.82% |
| 2 | P.THANGAMANI | AIADMK | 73,483 | 36.04% |
| 3 | S.BALU | DMK | 39,993 | 19.62% |
| 4 | UVARANI SURESH | NTK | 7,663 | 3.76% |
| 5 | NOTA | NOTA | 665 | 0.33% |
Postal ballot breakdown
Postal-ballot leader differs from overall winner. AIADMK P.THANGAMANI led postal ballots (700), but TVK C.VIJAYALAKSHMI won the seat overall (81,179).
| # | Candidate | Party | Postal votes | EVM votes | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | P.THANGAMANI | AIADMK | 700 | 72,783 | 73,483 |
| 2 | S.BALU | DMK | 473 | 39,520 | 39,993 |
| 3 | C.VIJAYALAKSHMI | TVK | 305 | 80,874 | 81,179 |
| 4 | UVARANI SURESH | NTK | 52 | 7,611 | 7,663 |
| 5 | NOTA | NOTA | 7 | 658 | 665 |
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.
Kumarapalayam was newly formed in the 2008 delimitation; pre-2011 records do not exist for this seat.
About Kumarapalayam
Kumarapalayam straddles the Bhavani river where it meets the Cauvery, sitting on the road between Salem and Erode. The town runs on power-loom weaving and dyeing units along the river; villages towards Pallipalayam and Vediyarasampalayam churn out grey cloth that travels to Tiruppur for finishing. The constituency was carved out of the larger Tiruchengode seat during the 2008 delimitation and has been an AIADMK fortress since, with P. Thangamani winning every contest from 2011 to 2021 and serving as state electricity minister. The 2026 result marks the first time the seat has changed hands.
Things to do in Kumarapalayam
The Bhavani-Cauvery confluence at Kooduthurai, just across the bridge in Bhavani town, is one of the three sacred sangamams of South India and pulls pilgrims for Aadi-Perukku. Power-loom sheds along the Pallipalayam stretch run open shifts and visitors can watch grey cloth coming off Sulzer machines. The Sangameswarar temple on the river bank is worth a half-hour stop.
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