Nilakkottai
Nilakkottai 2026: TVK's R. Ayyanar flips SC seat by 2,925 votes
TVK's R. Ayyanar won Nilakkottai with 68,580 votes, edging DMK's S. Nagajothi by just 2,925 votes — one of the tightest finishes of the 2026 cycle. The Scheduled Caste reserved seat had returned AIADMK's S. Thenmozhi in 2021 by a far wider 27,618-vote margin and again in the 2019 by-election.
Top 5 candidates
| # | Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AYYANAR.R | TVK | 68,580 | 35.02% |
| 2 | NAGAJOTHI.S | DMK | 65,655 | 33.53% |
| 3 | THENMOZHI.S | AIADMK | 49,924 | 25.49% |
| 4 | DR.KAILAI RAJAN.D | NTK | 8,615 | 4.40% |
| 5 | SELVAM.P B.A. B.L. | IND | 763 | 0.39% |
Postal ballot breakdown
Postal-ballot leader differs from overall winner. DMK NAGAJOTHI.S led postal ballots (711), but TVK AYYANAR.R won the seat overall (68,580).
| # | Candidate | Party | Postal votes | EVM votes | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NAGAJOTHI.S | DMK | 711 | 64,944 | 65,655 |
| 2 | AYYANAR.R | TVK | 627 | 67,953 | 68,580 |
| 3 | THENMOZHI.S | AIADMK | 414 | 49,510 | 49,924 |
| 4 | DR.KAILAI RAJAN.D | NTK | 129 | 8,486 | 8,615 |
| 5 | SELVAM.P B.A. B.L. | RPI( | 25 | 738 | 763 |
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.
Nilakkottai is reserved for Scheduled Castes. AIADMK's S. Thenmozhi also won the 2019 by-election (90,982 to 70,307) before retaining the seat in 2021. Puthiya Tamilagam (PT) and Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) contested with the DMK-led front in 2011 and 1996 respectively.
About Nilakkottai
Nilakkottai is constituency No. 130 in Dindigul district, reserved for Scheduled Castes. The town lies at the base of the Sirumalai hills and runs one of Tamil Nadu's busiest jasmine and flower markets — the Madurai jasmine trade depends heavily on flowers routed through Nilakkottai. Brass-vessel making and goldsmith work are old occupational anchors. The seat has cycled through AIADMK, Puthiya Tamilagam and Tamil Maanila Congress since 1996; AIADMK's S. Thenmozhi held it in 2006, 2019 (by-poll) and 2021. Around 1.96 lakh votes were polled in 2026 across 16 candidates.
Nilakkottai — jasmine, brass and the Sirumalai foothills
Walk the Nilakkottai flower market at first light when jasmine, kanakambaram and rose stems are weighed out for the Madurai trade. The brass-vessel and goldsmith lanes are the older trade quarter. The Sirumalai climb begins a short drive away, and Dindigul fort and Kodaikanal are both within an hour or two.
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