Tiruvannamalai
Tiruvannamalai — DMK's E.V. Velu narrowly survives TVK challenge by just 2,455
DMK's E.V. Velu held Tiruvannamalai by a knife-edge 2,455 votes over TVK's Arul Arumugam — a sharp comedown from his 94,673-vote landslide in 2021. Velu, the four-time MLA who first won here in 2011 by just 5,126 votes, returns to a margin closer to that early squeaker.
Top 5 candidates
| # | Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | VELU. E.V | DMK | 88,273 | 40.46% |
| 2 | ARUL ARUMUGAM | TVK | 85,818 | 39.34% |
| 3 | ELUMALAI. C | BJP | 34,280 | 15.71% |
| 4 | VIGNESH. S | NTK | 6,011 | 2.76% |
| 5 | NOTA | NOTA | 785 | 0.36% |
Postal ballot breakdown
| # | Candidate | Party | Postal votes | EVM votes | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | VELU. E.V | DMK | 1,002 | 87,271 | 88,273 |
| 2 | ARUL ARUMUGAM | TVK | 646 | 85,172 | 85,818 |
| 3 | ELUMALAI. C | BJP | 471 | 33,809 | 34,280 |
| 4 | VIGNESH. S | NTK | 81 | 5,930 | 6,011 |
| 5 | NOTA | NOTA | 27 | 758 | 785 |
Source: Election Commission of India · Form 20 data via results.eci.gov.in
How this seat compares
- One of the most crowded ballots in TN 2026 — 31 candidates on this single seat.
Past results
Verified winners and runners-up across the last five elections, with the major alliance partners each side fielded.
E.V. Velu has won Tiruvannamalai four times in a row (2011, 2016, 2021, 2026) — his 2,455-vote 2026 margin is his closest ever, eclipsing even the 5,126 of 2011.
About Tiruvannamalai
Tiruvannamalai (AC 63) is built around one of Tamil Nadu's most sacred landscapes — the Arunachaleswarar temple, dedicated to Shiva as the Agni Lingam, one of the five Pancha Bhoota Stalas representing the element of fire. The temple's 11-storey eastern Rajagopuram is among the tallest in India, and the 14-km Girivalam circumambulation of the holy hill, walked barefoot on every full moon, draws lakhs of pilgrims. Karthigai Deepam in November-December lights a giant lamp on the summit. Ramana Maharshi's ashram on the hill's southern slope and Sathanur Dam on the Thenpennai river complete the constituency's pilgrim-and-water geography.
Tiruvannamalai & the Hill of Fire
Tiruvannamalai is the fire shrine of the Pancha Bhoota Stalas — the Arunachaleswarar temple's 11-storey gopuram looks up at the holy hill itself. Walk the 14-km Girivalam path on a full-moon night past the eight Ashta Lingams, sit in silence at Ramana Maharshi's ashram on the southern slope, then drive out to Sathanur Dam on the Thenpennai for a quieter afternoon.
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