Thanjavur
All 11 candidates
| # | Candidate | Votes · share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | R. VijaysaravananWonTVK Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam | 87,70544.12% |
| 2 | Shan RamanathanDMK Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | 70,75035.59% |
| Below this line, candidates lost their deposit: 32,920 votes or fewer, one-sixth of the 1,97,524 votes for all candidates | ||
| 3 | Karuppu Muruganantham (lost deposit)BJP Bharatiya Janata Party | 26,79013.48% |
| 4 | N. Krishnakumar (lost deposit)NTK Naam Tamilar Katchi | 9,3834.72% |
| NOTANone of the above: not a candidate | 1,2740.64% | |
| 5 | R. Muralidharan (lost deposit)IND Independent | 8440.42% |
| 6 | S. Karikala Cholan (lost deposit)IND Independent | 8000.40% |
| 7 | S. Muthuvel (lost deposit)BDP Bahujan Dravida Party | 5130.26% |
| 8 | H. Mohamed Abdul Khadir (lost deposit)TVAK Tamizhaga Vaazhvurimai Katchi | 2660.13% |
| 9 | M. Santhosh (lost deposit)IND Independent | 1790.09% |
| 10 | D. Kumaran (lost deposit)IND Independent | 1570.08% |
| 11 | R. Sabthagiri (lost deposit)IND Independent | 1370.07% |
Thanjavur — TVK takes the Chola capital, ends DMK hold
TVK's R. Vijaysaravanan won Thanjavur — Tamil Nadu's cultural bedrock and the medieval Chola capital — over DMK's S. Ramanathan.
The seat is a swing constituency: DMK held it in 2006 (S. N. M. Ubayadullah), AIADMK in 2011 and 2016 (M. Rengasamy, including a November 2016 bypoll after the original May 2016 election was countermanded over a cash-for-votes scandal), DMK again in 2021 (T. K. G. Neelamegam, by a 47,149-vote margin), and TVK in 2026.
The constituency contains the UNESCO-listed Brihadeeshwara Temple, the Maratha Saraswati Mahal Library, and lies 15 km from Tiruvaiyaru — birthplace of Saint Thyagaraja and the home of Carnatic music's annual Aradhana.
Where Thanjavur was won
| Led by | Booths of 311 | Villages of 10 |
|---|---|---|
| R. Vijaysaravanan TVK | 238 | 9 |
| Shan Ramanathan DMK | 73 | 1 |
| Closest village | Nelagiri: TVK ahead by 31 | |
R. Vijaysaravanan’s biggest leads
- Thanjavur+13,221211 booths
- Puduppattinam+1,5579 booths
- Nelagiri Therkkuthottam+87114 booths
Shan Ramanathan’s best villages
- Vallam+7013 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
- Thanjavur
- Electors, 2026
- 2,52,676women 1,32,309 (52.4%) · men 1,20,317 (47.6%) · third gender 50
Sources · electoral roll, reservation: ECI · Lok Sabha seat: 2008 delimitation order
Postal ballot breakdown
Postal-ballot leader differs from overall winner. DMK SHAN. RAMANATHAN led postal ballots (1,411), but TVK R. VIJAYSARAVANAN won the seat overall (87,705).
2,906 postal ballots · from polling staff, election-duty officers, absentee voters · counted before EVM rounds
| # | Candidate | Party | Postal votes | EVM votes | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shan Ramanathan | DMK | 1,411 | 69,339 | 70,750 |
| 2 | R. Vijaysaravanan | TVK | 831 | 86,874 | 87,705 |
| 3 | Karuppu Muruganantham | BJP | 440 | 26,350 | 26,790 |
| 4 | N. Krishnakumar | NTK | 148 | 9,235 | 9,383 |
| 5 | Nota | NOTA | 29 | 1,245 | 1,274 |
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 | 16,955 | 75th | 11,416 |
| Winner’s share | 44.1% | 42nd | 37.4% |
| Turnout | 78.7% | 213th | 86.9% |
| Votes cast | 1,98,798 | 142nd | 2,08,471 |
| Candidates | 11 | =201st | 15 |
| NOTA votes | 1,274 | 28th | 784 |
| Since 2021 | TVK took the seat from DMK. In 2021 T. K. G. Neelamegam won it by 47,149 votes. | ||
Winners and runners-up, 2006–2026
2011, 2016 and 2021 rows: checked against the ECI detailed results. Earlier rows: secondary sources.
The 2016 result is from the November 2016 bypoll — the original May 2016 election was countermanded by the Election Commission over a cash-for-votes scandal in this seat. M. Rengasamy and S. N. M. Ubayadullah were the two faces of the AIADMK–DMK rivalry here through three elections before T. K. G. Neelamegam took the seat decisively in 2021.
TVK's 2026 win is the first time a non-Dravidian-major party has carried Thanjavur in the post-2008-delimitation era.
About Thanjavur
Thanjavur is the cultural bedrock of Tamil Nadu — capital of the medieval Chola dynasty (mid-9th century to mid-13th century), home to Rajaraja Chola I's 1010 CE Brihadeeshwara Temple (UNESCO World Heritage Site), and later seat of the Thanjavur Maratha kings whose Saraswati Mahal Library is one of Asia's oldest.
The Cauvery delta around Thanjavur city is Tamil Nadu's rice bowl. AIADMK's M. Rengasamy won it in 2011 and 2016 and the DMK's T. K. G. Neelamegam in 2021. TVK's 2026 win is the first for a party other than the DMK or AIADMK since the 2008 delimitation.
Thanjavur
Thanjavur is Tamil Nadu's cultural bedrock — a city where Rajaraja Chola raised the granite vimana of the Big Temple in 1010 CE, where Maratha kings later filled the Saraswati Mahal with palm-leaf manuscripts, and where gold-leaf Tanjore paintings still glow in artisan lanes.
Step out 15 km to Tiruvaiyaru for Saint Thyagaraja's January Aradhana, or 70 km north to Rajendra Chola's lost capital at Gangaikondacholapuram with the second of the Great Living Chola Temples.
Plan your trip on TN Explorer →Quick answers
Who won Thanjavur in the 2026 Tamil Nadu election?
R. Vijaysaravanan of TVK won Thanjavur (AC 174) in the April 2026 Assembly election with 87,705 votes, 44.12% of the votes polled, ahead of Shan Ramanathan of DMK by 16,955 votes.
Who is the MLA of Thanjavur?
R. Vijaysaravanan of TVK was elected MLA for Thanjavur in April 2026 and sits in the 17th Tamil Nadu Assembly.
What was the turnout in Thanjavur in 2026?
Turnout was 78.7%: 1,98,798 of 2,52,676 electors voted.
Which district is Thanjavur in?
Thanjavur (constituency number 174) is in Thanjavur district, part of the Thanjavur Lok Sabha seat.
Who won Thanjavur before 2026?
In 2021 T. K. G. Neelamegam of DMK won by 47,149 votes over V. Arivudainambi. In 2016 M. Rengasamy of AIADMK won by 26,874 votes over Anjugam Boopathy.
Sources: Form 20, booth-wise result (PDF)ECI result, AC 174
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