Thiruvarur
Thiruvarur 2026: DMK's Kalaivanan keeps Karunanidhi's seat by 18,148
DMK's K. Poondi Kalaivanan retained Thiruvarur with 93,408 votes, holding off TVK's V. Veeramani by 18,148 votes. The seat M. Karunanidhi made his political home from 2011 until his death in 2018 has stayed with the DMK in every contest since the 2019 by-election that first brought Kalaivanan to the assembly.
Top 5 candidates
| # | Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | KALAIVANAN POONDI K | DMK | 93,408 | 43.24% |
| 2 | VEERAMANI V | TVK | 75,260 | 34.84% |
| 3 | CHANDRASEKARAN GOVI | BJP | 36,387 | 16.85% |
| 4 | ASWINI B | NTK | 10,031 | 4.64% |
| 5 | NOTA | NOTA | 825 | 0.38% |
Postal ballot breakdown
| # | Candidate | Party | Postal votes | EVM votes | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | KALAIVANAN POONDI K | DMK | 904 | 92,504 | 93,408 |
| 2 | VEERAMANI V | TVK | 438 | 74,822 | 75,260 |
| 3 | CHANDRASEKARAN GOVI | BJP | 409 | 35,978 | 36,387 |
| 4 | ASWINI B | NTK | 135 | 9,896 | 10,031 |
| 5 | THIYAGARAJAN .M | PT | 16 | 510 | 526 |
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.
Karunanidhi held the seat from 2011 until his death in August 2018; K. Poondi Kalaivanan won the 2019 by-election and has held the seat since (2019 row omitted — runner-up not verifiable).
About Thiruvarur
Thiruvarur is the cultural and political nerve seat of the Cauvery delta, the headquarters of Thiruvarur district and the birthplace of M. Karunanidhi, who represented this assembly seat from 2011 until his death in 2018. The constituency is centred on the Thyagaraja Swami temple, whose Aazhi Ther chariot is the largest in Asia, and on the Kamalalayam tank that surrounds it. Thiruvarur is also the birthplace of the Carnatic Trinity composers Thyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syama Sastri, all born within the same temple precinct between 1762 and 1775. DMK's A. Asokan won the seat in 2001, U. Mathivanan in 2006, Karunanidhi in 2011 and 2016, and K. Poondi Kalaivanan in the 2019 by-election and the 2021 general election. The seat falls under the Thiruvarur Lok Sabha constituency.
Karunanidhi's town, Carnatic Trinity birthplace
Thiruvarur is the only town in the world that can claim all three composers of the Carnatic Trinity — Thyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syama Sastri were each born within the precincts of the Thyagaraja Swami temple in the late 18th century. The temple's Aazhi Ther, the largest temple chariot in Asia at 96 feet and 350 tonnes, rolls out at the April Theppam festival. M. Karunanidhi's birthplace at Thirukkuvalai, 30 km away, is now a memorial.
Plan your trip on TN Explorer →