Melur
All 13 candidates
| # | Candidate | Votes · share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | P. ViswanathanWonINC Indian National Congress | 60,08031.50% |
| 2 | A. MaduraiveeranTVK Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam | 57,35630.07% |
| 3 | P. Periyapullan SelvamAIADMK All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | 56,74429.75% |
| Below this line, candidates lost their deposit: 31,695 votes or fewer, one-sixth of the 1,90,172 votes for all candidates | ||
| 4 | Kottaikumar (lost deposit)NTK Naam Tamilar Katchi | 9,5705.02% |
| 5 | Soniagandhi (lost deposit)AIPTMM All India Puratchi Thalaivar Makkal Munnettra Kazhagam | 2,6281.38% |
| 6 | M. Murugan (lost deposit)IND Independent | 2,1701.14% |
| NOTANone of the above: not a candidate | 5540.29% | |
| 7 | M. Panneerselvam (lost deposit)PT Puthiya Tamilagam | 4230.22% |
| 8 | C. Ramesh (lost deposit)IND Independent | 3170.17% |
| 9 | K. Meyyar (lost deposit)CPIL Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (Liberation) | 2760.14% |
| 10 | C. Mohanram (lost deposit)IND Independent | 2690.14% |
| 11 | K. Manikandaprabu (lost deposit)IND Independent | 1380.07% |
| 12 | S. Boopathi (lost deposit)IND Independent | 1160.06% |
| 13 | K. Sethuraman (lost deposit)IND Independent | 850.04% |
Melur — Congress wins, breaks AIADMK's quarter-century hold and lands one of just 5 INC seats in TN 2026
Melur was an AIADMK fortress for 25 years. R. Samy won it in 2001, 2006 and 2011, then Periyapullan @ P. Selvam took over and held it in 2016 (margin 19,723) and 2021 (margin 35,162). Congress had not won this seat since the 1990s.
In 2026 INC's P. Viswanathan ended the streak by edging TVK's A. Maduraiveeran narrowly — making Melur one of only five seats Congress won across Tamil Nadu in the 2026 assembly election.
Where Melur was won
| Led by | Booths of 291 | Villages of 66 |
|---|---|---|
| P. Viswanathan INC | 111 | 28 |
| A. Maduraiveeran TVK | 81 | 14 |
| Others | 99 | 24 |
| Closest village | Pudusukkampatti: TVK ahead by 6 | |
P. Viswanathan’s biggest leads
- Melur+81439 booths
- Pathinettangudi+5332 booths
- Karungalakudi+5298 booths
A. Maduraiveeran’s best villages
- Keelaiyur+2177 booths
- Pottapatti+2074 booths
- Malampatti+1883 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
- Madurai
- Electors, 2026
- 2,29,821women 1,15,778 (50.4%) · men 1,14,032 (49.6%) · third gender 11
Sources · electoral roll, reservation: ECI · Lok Sabha seat: 2008 delimitation order
Postal ballot breakdown
1,743 postal ballots · from polling staff, election-duty officers, absentee voters · counted before EVM rounds
| # | Candidate | Party | Postal votes | EVM votes | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | P. Viswanathan | INC | 594 | 59,486 | 60,080 |
| 2 | A. Maduraiveeran | TVK | 440 | 56,916 | 57,356 |
| 3 | P. Periyapullan Selvam | AIADMK | 417 | 56,327 | 56,744 |
| 4 | Kottaikumar | NTK | 130 | 9,440 | 9,570 |
| 5 | Soniagandhi | AIPTMM | 69 | 2,559 | 2,628 |
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 | 2,724 | 195th | 11,416 |
| Winner’s share | 31.5% | 227th | 37.4% |
| Turnout | 83.0% | 172nd | 86.9% |
| Votes cast | 1,90,726 | 165th | 2,08,471 |
| Candidates | 13 | =165th | 15 |
| NOTA votes | 554 | 196th | 784 |
| Since 2021 | CONG took the seat from AIADMK. In 2021 Periyapullan @ P. Selvam won it by 35,162 votes. | ||
Winners and runners-up, 2006–2026
2011, 2016 and 2021 rows: checked against the ECI detailed results. Earlier rows: secondary sources. Two-part pill: alliance leader first, then the candidate's party.
About Melur
Melur is the granite-and-paddy belt east of Madurai, a taluk town that runs into the Sirumalai foothills and the cotton fields of Sivaganga. Its calendar revolves around Karuppanasamy and Ayyanar folk-deity shrines — terracotta horses, all-night kovil festivals, the kind of village ritualism Madurai's urban temples have shed.
Alagar Koil, the Vaishnavite hill temple central to the Chithirai festival's Kallazhagar river ride, sits on Melur's western edge. Pasumalai's slopes and Othakadai's industrial fringe pull the constituency toward Madurai city, while the eastern villages still farm cotton, paddy and groundnut on rain-fed land.
Melur & Alagar Koil
Melur is granite, paddy and folk religion east of Madurai. Climb to Alagar Koil — the Vaishnavite hill temple whose Kallazhagar rides into Madurai for Chithirai — then drive past Karuppanasamy shrines lined with terracotta horses. The Sirumalai slopes lie north; Pasumalai and Othakadai pull you back toward the city.
Plan your trip on TN Explorer →Quick answers
Who won Melur in the 2026 Tamil Nadu election?
P. Viswanathan of INC won Melur (AC 188) in the April 2026 Assembly election with 60,080 votes, 31.50% of the votes polled, ahead of A. Maduraiveeran of TVK by 2,724 votes.
Who is the MLA of Melur?
P. Viswanathan of INC was elected MLA for Melur in April 2026 and sits in the 17th Tamil Nadu Assembly.
What was the turnout in Melur in 2026?
Turnout was 83.0%: 1,90,726 of 2,29,821 electors voted.
Which district is Melur in?
Melur (constituency number 188) is in Madurai district, part of the Madurai Lok Sabha seat.
Who won Melur before 2026?
In 2021 Periyapullan @ P. Selvam of AIADMK won by 35,162 votes over T. Ravichandran. In 2016 Periyapullan @ P. Selvam of AIADMK won by 19,723 votes over A. P. Ragupathy.
Sources: Form 20, booth-wise result (PDF)ECI result, AC 188
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