Nilakkottai
All 15 candidates
| # | Candidate | Votes · share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | R. AyyanarWonTVK Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam | 68,58034.71% |
| 2 | S. NagajothiDMK Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | 65,65533.23% |
| 3 | S. ThenmozhiAIADMK All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | 49,92425.27% |
| Below this line, candidates lost their deposit: 32,825 votes or fewer, one-sixth of the 1,96,951 votes for all candidates | ||
| 4 | Dr. D. Kailai Rajan (lost deposit)NTK Naam Tamilar Katchi | 8,6154.36% |
| 5 | P. B. A. B. L. Selvam (lost deposit)RPI Republican Party of India (A) | 7630.39% |
| NOTANone of the above: not a candidate | 6420.32% | |
| 6 | P. Manikandan (lost deposit)IND Independent | 5150.26% |
| 7 | M. Rajalakshmi (lost deposit)BSP Bahujan Samaj Party | 5050.26% |
| 8 | P. Sankar (lost deposit)PT Puthiya Tamilagam | 4410.22% |
| 9 | M. Vijayapandiyan (lost deposit)IND Independent | 4150.21% |
| 10 | G. Anbalagan (lost deposit)AIPTMM All India Puratchi Thalaivar Makkal Munnettra Kazhagam | 3990.20% |
| 11 | M. Manoharan (lost deposit)IND Independent | 3490.18% |
| 12 | A. Alappan (lost deposit)IND Independent | 3310.17% |
| 13 | N. Perumal (lost deposit)IND Independent | 2380.12% |
| 14 | K. Chellam (lost deposit)IND Independent | 1620.08% |
| 15 | S. Karuppaiah (lost deposit)IND Independent | 590.03% |
Nilakkottai 2026: TVK's R. Ayyanar flips SC seat
TVK's R. Ayyanar won Nilakkottai with 68,580 votes, edging DMK's S. Nagajothi narrowly. The Scheduled Caste reserved seat had returned AIADMK's S. Thenmozhi at the 2019 by-election and again in 2021, by a far wider 27,618-vote margin.
Where Nilakkottai was won
| Led by | Booths of 305 | Villages of 37 |
|---|---|---|
| R. Ayyanar TVK | 136 | 14 |
| S. Nagajothi DMK | 117 | 19 |
| Others | 52 | 4 |
| Closest village | Ramarajapuram: AIADMK ahead by 6 | |
R. Ayyanar’s biggest leads
- Nilakkottai+2,25921 booths
- Oruthattu+1,71119 booths
- Jambuthuraikottai+1,22010 booths
S. Nagajothi’s best villages
- Vathalagundu+2,58436 booths
- Ethilodu+39312 booths
- Kodanginaickanpatti+3575 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
- Reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC)
- Lok Sabha seat
- Dindigul
- Electors, 2026
- 2,21,094women 1,12,780 (51.0%) · men 1,08,300 (49.0%) · third gender 14
Sources · electoral roll, reservation: ECI · Lok Sabha seat: 2008 delimitation order
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).
1,957 postal ballots · from polling staff, election-duty officers, absentee voters · counted before EVM rounds
| # | Candidate | Party | Postal votes | EVM votes | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | S. Nagajothi | DMK | 711 | 64,944 | 65,655 |
| 2 | R. Ayyanar | TVK | 627 | 67,953 | 68,580 |
| 3 | S. Thenmozhi | AIADMK | 414 | 49,510 | 49,924 |
| 4 | Dr. D. Kailai Rajan | NTK | 129 | 8,486 | 8,615 |
| 5 | P. B. A. B. L. Selvam | RPI( | 25 | 738 | 763 |
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 | 2,925 | 191st | 11,416 |
| Winner’s share | 34.7% | 175th | 37.4% |
| Turnout | 89.4% | 78th | 86.9% |
| Votes cast | 1,97,593 | 145th | 2,08,471 |
| Candidates | 15 | =94th | 15 |
| NOTA votes | 642 | =166th | 784 |
| Since 2021 | TVK took the seat from AIADMK. In 2021 S. Thenmozhi won it by 27,618 votes. | ||
Winners and runners-up, 1996–2026
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.
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) won in 2011 in the AIADMK-led front; Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) contested with the DMK-led front in 1996.
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 1.98 lakh votes were polled in 2026 across 15 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.
Plan your trip on TN Explorer →Quick answers
Who won Nilakkottai in the 2026 Tamil Nadu election?
R. Ayyanar of TVK won Nilakkottai (AC 130) in the April 2026 Assembly election with 68,580 votes, 34.71% of the votes polled, ahead of S. Nagajothi of DMK by 2,925 votes.
Who is the MLA of Nilakkottai?
R. Ayyanar of TVK was elected MLA for Nilakkottai in April 2026 and sits in the 17th Tamil Nadu Assembly.
What was the turnout in Nilakkottai in 2026?
Turnout was 89.4%: 1,97,593 of 2,21,094 electors voted.
Which district is Nilakkottai in?
Nilakkottai (constituency number 130) is in Dindigul district, part of the Dindigul Lok Sabha seat.
Who won Nilakkottai before 2026?
In 2021 S. Thenmozhi of AIADMK won by 27,618 votes over K. Murugavelrajan. In 2016 R. Thangathurai of AIADMK won by 14,776 votes over M. Anbazhagan.
Sources: Form 20, booth-wise result (PDF)ECI result, AC 130
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