Tamil Nadu election results: Vote counting begins

The counting of votes in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections was underway on Monday.

As of 8.28 am the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam was leading in 12 seats, actor-turned-politician Vijay’s newly-founded Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam in 2 and the National Democratic Alliance, comprising the Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Bharatiya Janata Party in 5, in early trends, reports and data from the Election Commission showed. The counting began at 8 am.

Polling in all 234 Assembly constituencies was held on April 23. A turnout of 85.1% was recorded.

A party or an alliance needs 118 seats to secure a majority.

Several exit polls forecast that the MK Stalin-led DMK would retain power. However, one agency, Axis My India, predicted that Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam may emerge as the single largest party.

Follow Scroll’s coverage of the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections here.

In the 2021 elections, the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance, which includes the Congress and the Left parties, won 159 seats in the 234-member Assembly, ending the 10-year tenure of the AIADMK. Stalin had become the chief minister.

The National Democratic Alliance, comprising the AIADMK and the BJP, had won 75 seats.

Tamil Nadu was among the 12 states and Union Territories where the Election Commission conducted the special intensive revision of the electoral rolls. More than 74 lakh persons were removed...

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