Padmanabhapuram
All 11 candidates
| # | Candidate | Votes · share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | R. ChellaswamyWonCPM Communist Party of India (Marxist) | 68,93838.18% |
| 2 | S. Krishna KumarTVK Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam | 53,36929.56% |
| 3 | P. RameshBJP Bharatiya Janata Party | 44,29324.53% |
| Below this line, candidates lost their deposit: 29,990 votes or fewer, one-sixth of the 1,79,940 votes for all candidates | ||
| 4 | Seelan (lost deposit)NTK Naam Tamilar Katchi | 11,2886.25% |
| NOTANone of the above: not a candidate | 6150.34% | |
| 5 | R. Vasanthi (lost deposit)IND Independent | 4530.25% |
| 6 | S. Durai Raj (lost deposit)IND Independent | 3730.21% |
| 7 | M. Rakesh Kumar (lost deposit)TPMK Thamizhaka Padaippalar Makkal Katchi | 3460.19% |
| 8 | A. Syedali (lost deposit)OMNP Our Mahathma National Party | 3140.17% |
| 9 | Dr. B. Krishna Prasad (lost deposit)IND Independent | 2290.13% |
| 10 | H. Arul Mani (lost deposit)IND Independent | 1930.11% |
| 11 | N. Vaikundamani (lost deposit)TVAK Tamizhaga Vaazhvurimai Katchi | 1440.08% |
Padmanabhapuram 2026: CPM's Chellaswamy ends DMK run
R. Chellaswamy pulled Padmanabhapuram back into the red column for the CPM with 68,938 votes, beating TVK's S. Krishna Kumar on 53,369. The win is the Marxists' first here since the early 1990s and ends a fifteen-year DMK run built around two-time MLA Mano Thangaraj, who was not a candidate this time.
Where Padmanabhapuram was won
| Led by | Booths of 312 | Villages of 30 |
|---|---|---|
| R. Chellaswamy CPM | 185 | 21 |
| S. Krishna Kumar TVK | 36 | 3 |
| Others | 91 | 6 |
| Closest village | Muthalakuruchi: CPM ahead by 3 | |
R. Chellaswamy’s biggest leads
- Kumarankudi+2,41723 booths
- Kannanore+1,99719 booths
- Mulagumoodu+1,6124 booths
S. Krishna Kumar’s best villages
- Pechiparai+10411 booths
- Perunchani+832 booths
- Mecode+573 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
- Kanniyakumari
- Electors, 2026
- 2,35,511women 1,18,020 (50.1%) · men 1,17,488 (49.9%) · third gender 3
Sources · electoral roll, reservation: ECI · Lok Sabha seat: 2008 delimitation order
Postal ballot breakdown
2,838 postal ballots · from polling staff, election-duty officers, absentee voters · counted before EVM rounds
| # | Candidate | Party | Postal votes | EVM votes | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | R. Chellaswamy | CPM | 1,042 | 67,896 | 68,938 |
| 2 | P. Ramesh | BJP | 880 | 43,413 | 44,293 |
| 3 | S. Krishna Kumar | TVK | 628 | 52,741 | 53,369 |
| 4 | Seelan | NTK | 240 | 11,048 | 11,288 |
| 5 | Nota | NOTA | 19 | 596 | 615 |
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 | 15,569 | 83rd | 11,416 |
| Winner’s share | 38.2% | 103rd | 37.4% |
| Turnout | 76.7% | 223rd | 86.9% |
| Votes cast | 1,80,555 | 198th | 2,08,471 |
| Candidates | 11 | =201st | 15 |
| NOTA votes | 615 | 175th | 784 |
| Since 2021 | CPM took the seat from DMK. In 2021 Mano Thangaraj won it by 26,885 votes. | ||
Winners and runners-up, 2011–2026
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.
CPM previously held Padmanabhapuram in 1989 and 1991; the 2026 win is its first here since then and arrived as part of the DMK-led front.
About Padmanabhapuram
Padmanabhapuram sits on the old Travancore-Tamil Nadu frontier in western Kanyakumari district, named after the 17th-century wooden palace that served as the seat of the Travancore kings before they shifted to Thiruvananthapuram. The constituency stitches together Thuckalay, Thiruvattar and a string of rubber plantation villages along the Western Ghats foothills.
Most signage is bilingual Tamil-Malayalam, and the local economy runs on rubber, cashew, latex sheet factories and a heavy remittance flow from the Gulf.
The seat has historically swung between Left and Dravidian poles - the CPM held it through 1989 and 1991, the DMK kept it from 2011 to 2021, and the Marxists are back in 2026.
Travel from Padmanabhapuram
The Padmanabhapuram Palace complex is the obvious anchor - the largest wooden palace in India, kept by the Kerala government but sitting in Tamil Nadu. Pair it with the Thiruvattar Adikesava Perumal temple 8 km north and a swim under Thirparappu falls. Cross-border drivers usually push on to the Mathur trough aqueduct or the Kanyakumari point.
Plan your trip on TN Explorer →Quick answers
Who won Padmanabhapuram in the 2026 Tamil Nadu election?
R. Chellaswamy of CPM won Padmanabhapuram (AC 232) in the April 2026 Assembly election with 68,938 votes, 38.18% of the votes polled, ahead of S. Krishna Kumar of TVK by 15,569 votes.
Who is the MLA of Padmanabhapuram?
R. Chellaswamy of CPM was elected MLA for Padmanabhapuram in April 2026 and sits in the 17th Tamil Nadu Assembly.
What was the turnout in Padmanabhapuram in 2026?
Turnout was 76.7%: 1,80,555 of 2,35,511 electors voted.
Which district is Padmanabhapuram in?
Padmanabhapuram (constituency number 232) is in Kanniyakumari district, part of the Kanniyakumari Lok Sabha seat.
Who won Padmanabhapuram before 2026?
In 2021 Mano Thangaraj of DMK won by 26,885 votes over D. John Thankam. In 2016 Mano Thangaraj of DMK won by 40,905 votes over K.P. Rajendra Prasad.
Sources: Form 20, booth-wise result (PDF)ECI result, AC 232
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