Thiruvarur
All 8 candidates
| # | Candidate | Votes · share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Poondi K. KalaivananWonDMK Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | 93,40842.87% |
| 2 | V. VeeramaniTVK Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam | 75,26034.54% |
| 3 | Chandrasekaran GoviBJP Bharatiya Janata Party | 36,38716.70% |
| Below this line, candidates lost their deposit: 36,175 votes or fewer, one-sixth of the 2,17,050 votes for all candidates | ||
| 4 | B. Aswini (lost deposit)NTK Naam Tamilar Katchi | 10,0314.60% |
| NOTANone of the above: not a candidate | 8250.38% | |
| 5 | M. Sahul Hameed (lost deposit)IND Independent | 5930.27% |
| 6 | M. Thiyagarajan (lost deposit)PT Puthiya Tamilagam | 5260.24% |
| 7 | A. Kanthan (lost deposit)TVAK Tamizhaga Vaazhvurimai Katchi | 5030.23% |
| 8 | S. Mutharasan (lost deposit)IND Independent | 3420.16% |
Thiruvarur 2026: DMK's Kalaivanan keeps Karunanidhi's seat
DMK's K. Poondi Kalaivanan retained Thiruvarur with 93,408 votes, holding off TVK's V. Veeramani. 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.
Where Thiruvarur was won
| Led by | Booths of 327 | Villages of 119 |
|---|---|---|
| Poondi K. Kalaivanan DMK | 219 | 91 |
| V. Veeramani TVK | 103 | 28 |
| Others | 5 | 0 |
| Closest village | Thiruvadiraimangalam: DMK ahead by 2 | |
Poondi K. Kalaivanan’s biggest leads
- Koothanallur+4,91727 booths
- Adiyakkamangalam+1,7868 booths
- Thiruvidaasal+1,5878 booths
V. Veeramani’s best villages
- Keelakkadukudi+4527 booths
- Alivalam+2764 booths
- Thandalai+1963 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
- Nagapattinam (SC)
- Electors, 2026
- 2,60,027women 1,32,977 (51.1%) · men 1,27,030 (48.9%) · third gender 20
Sources · electoral roll, reservation: ECI · Lok Sabha seat: 2008 delimitation order
Postal ballot breakdown
1,928 postal ballots · from polling staff, election-duty officers, absentee voters · counted before EVM rounds
| # | Candidate | Party | Postal votes | EVM votes | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | K. Kalaivanan Poondi | DMK | 904 | 92,504 | 93,408 |
| 2 | V. Veeramani | TVK | 438 | 74,822 | 75,260 |
| 3 | Chandrasekaran Govi | BJP | 409 | 35,978 | 36,387 |
| 4 | B. Aswini | NTK | 135 | 9,896 | 10,031 |
| 5 | M. Thiyagarajan | PT | 16 | 510 | 526 |
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 | 18,148 | 71st | 11,416 |
| Winner’s share | 42.9% | 55th | 37.4% |
| Turnout | 83.8% | 163rd | 86.9% |
| Votes cast | 2,17,875 | 85th | 2,08,471 |
| Candidates | 8 | 226th | 15 |
| NOTA votes | 825 | =105th | 784 |
| Since 2021 | DMK held the seat. In 2021 K. Poondi Kalaivanan won it by 51,174 votes. | ||
Winners and runners-up, 2001–2026
2011, 2016 and 2021 rows: checked against the ECI detailed results. Earlier rows: secondary sources.
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.
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 →Quick answers
Who won Thiruvarur in the 2026 Tamil Nadu election?
Poondi K. Kalaivanan of DMK won Thiruvarur (AC 168) in the April 2026 Assembly election with 93,408 votes, 42.87% of the votes polled, ahead of V. Veeramani of TVK by 18,148 votes.
Who is the MLA of Thiruvarur?
Poondi K. Kalaivanan of DMK was elected MLA for Thiruvarur in April 2026 and sits in the 17th Tamil Nadu Assembly.
What was the turnout in Thiruvarur in 2026?
Turnout was 83.8%: 2,17,875 of 2,60,027 electors voted.
Which district is Thiruvarur in?
Thiruvarur (constituency number 168) is in Thiruvarur district, part of the Nagapattinam (SC) Lok Sabha seat.
Who won Thiruvarur before 2026?
In 2021 K. Poondi Kalaivanan of DMK won by 51,174 votes over A. N. R. Pannerselvam. In 2016 M. Karunanidhi of DMK won by 68,366 votes over R. Pannerselvam.
Sources: Form 20, booth-wise result (PDF)ECI result, AC 168
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