Papanasam
Papanasam — IUML's Shahjahan wins by 1,065 votes in Cauvery delta seat
A.M. Shahjahan of the IUML wins Papanasam by 1,065 votes over TVK's Azarudeen Uduman Ali, a rare IUML pickup in the Tamil Nadu delta. The seat was an AIADMK stronghold for fifteen years under R. Doraikkannu, who won three straight terms including 2016. After Doraikkannu's death from Covid-19, the DMK alliance gave the seat to MMK's M.H. Jawahirullah, who won in 2021 with 86,567 votes and a 16,273-vote margin. The 2026 result keeps Papanasam in the Muslim-party column inside the DMK alliance.
Top 5 candidates
| # | Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A.M. SHAHJAHAN | IUML | 69,284 | 33.62% |
| 2 | AZARUDEEN UDUMAN ALI | TVK | 68,219 | 33.10% |
| 3 | DORAI. SHANMUGA PRABU | AIADMK | 57,072 | 27.69% |
| 4 | ANIS FATHIMA | NTK | 9,604 | 4.66% |
| 5 | NOTA | NOTA | 716 | 0.35% |
Postal ballot breakdown
| # | Candidate | Party | Postal votes | EVM votes | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A.M. SHAHJAHAN | IUML | 542 | 68,742 | 69,284 |
| 2 | DORAI. SHANMUGA PRABU | AIADMK | 529 | 56,543 | 57,072 |
| 3 | AZARUDEEN UDUMAN ALI | TVK | 364 | 67,855 | 68,219 |
| 4 | ANIS FATHIMA | NTK | 107 | 9,497 | 9,604 |
| 5 | NOTA | NOTA | 14 | 702 | 716 |
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.
Papanasam was an AIADMK fortress under R. Doraikkannu — three straight wins in 2006, 2011 and 2016 — before MMK's Jawahirullah took it for the DMK alliance in 2021 and IUML's Shahjahan held it for DMK in 2026.
About Papanasam
Papanasam sits in the Cauvery delta heart of Thanjavur district, taking its name from the Papanasanathar Shiva temple on the river. The constituency contains Suryanar Kovil — the only Navagraha temple dedicated to the Sun, with separate shrines for the eight other planetary deities, raised in masonry by Kulottunga Chola in the 11th century. Swamimalai's celebrated stapathi families still cast bronze icons here using the lost-wax method that Chola sculptors perfected. Paddy and an organic-farming push along the Cauvery distributaries shape the rural vote, and the bronze and silk economy of the temple corridor pulls in the urban pilgrim trade.
Suryan Sthalam & Bronze Casters
Papanasam is named for its Papanasanathar Shiva temple on the Cauvery. Drive to Suryanar Kovil — the only Sun Navagraha temple, raised by Kulottunga Chola in the 11th century with shrines for all eight other planetary deities. Visit a Swamimalai stapathi workshop where lost-wax bronze icons are still cast the Chola way, then return through paddy country for filter coffee at a delta tiffin room.
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