Tamil Nadu Election Results 2024 Highlights: ‘Confident he will play crucial role in Union govt,’ says MK Stalin after meeting Chandrababu Naidu

Taking a dig at former ally AIADMK, Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai on Wednesday claimed that its coming third and behind the saffron party in some constituencies in the just concluded Lok Sabha polls was a result of it "not speaking courteously about the BJP."

The BJP, despite drawing a blank, has increased its voteshare and has set its sight on the 2026 Assembly polls in the state, he said.

"We have got historic votes in Coimbatore and this is an achievement. The AIADMK just managed to retain its deposit...you know Coimbatore is an AIADMK bastion and it has got MLAs from there," he told a press conference.

Chief Minister M K Stalin said on Wednesday said INDIA bloc will take up the task of leading the country in protecting the constitutional principles and the great victory of DMK and its allies which have won all the 39 seats in Tamil Nadu and one in Puducherry, 'the 40 out of 40 win' will be greatly helpful in that endeavour.

He further asserted that people have rejected the BJP's 'communal' politics in the very soil where Ram temple was constructed in Uttar Pradesh. He also explained the DMK's campaign strategy in the just concluded Lok Sabha polls, the results for which were declared on June 4.

Writing a letter of thanksgiving to party workers, Stalin said people have handed the DMK and allies a spectacular victory and cadres worked hard for such a grand show.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK chief MK Stalin expresses gratitude towards party workers, INDIA colleagues, volunteers and voters for the 40/40 tally in Lok Sabha elections.

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— DMK (@arivalayam) June 5, 2024

Congress leader S Jothimani has said the mandate in Tamil Nadu speaks in favour of Rahul Gandhi becoming Prime Minister of the country. Speaking to ANI,Jothimani, who won the Karur Lok Sabha seat for the second time, said: "It is a verdict against Modi in Tamil Nadu and the majority of Indian states. As far as Tamil Nadu is concerned, the INDIA Alliance headed by the DMK has a landslide victory. This is for 3 things actually - it is a vote against BJP and Modi, it is for good governance in Tamil Nadu, to make Rahul Gandhi the Prime Minister. These are the 3 things that Tamil Nadu has voted for."

The INDIA bloc, led by the DMK in Tamil Nadu, managed to win all 39 seats in the state this election. Jothimani said the country does not want Narendra Modi and BJP anymore.

As INDIA bloc won 232 seats in the Lok Sabha elections, party leaders are meeting today in Delhi to chalk out further plans. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin has arrived in the Capital.

Reacting to poll victory, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK leader M K Stalin said the anti-Modi wave is palpable. He billed the victory historic, trumping BJP’s money power and abuse of power.

With results on only four out of 39 seats left, the DMK has managed to wrest 20 and was still in two seats of Chennai South and Salem.   

State BJP president K Annamalai was defeated by DMK candidate Raj Kumar in Coimbatore by a huge margin but the former managed to garner over four lakh votes. He lost by 1,18,068 votes, according to the EC wesbite.

Following the result, Annamalai thanked the people of the constituency for giving "historic (number) votes in the history" of Coimbatore for the NDA.

"I bow down to the people of the Coimbatore parliamentary constituency & thank the 4.5 lakh voters who bestowed their faith in the NDA & @BJP4TamilNadu. You believed in the vision of our PM, Narendra Modi, for his Viksit Bharat. You have given us historic votes in the history of Coimbatore PC for NDA, and still, we were short of the winning mark," Annamalai said in a post on X.

He congratulated DMK's Raj Kumar for winning the seat and wished the candidates of other political parties and also the independent candidates who participated in the race in Coimbatore.

"Finally, I assure the loving people of Kovai that we will double our efforts to win your love & mandate in the future!" he said.

At nearly 27%, the ruling DMK became the party with highest vote share in Tamil Nadu, followed by ADMK (20.46%). On the other hand, the BSP had the lowest vote share of 0.31%.       

BJP leader K Annamalai looks set for a clear loss from Coimbatore after trailing behind by the DMK's Ganapathy Rajkumar P for hours now. The DMK candidate is ahead 1,18,068 votes, according to the EC.      

While exit polls predicted that Tamil Nadu could give the BJP two to three seats, the party failed to make a mark in the state as it did not win any. However, its vote share increased from 3.66 per cent in 2019 to 10.72 per cent in 2024. This vote share is higher than what the party had managed to get in 1999, when it won four seats in an alliance with the DMK. The Dravidian party is one of the BJP’s most vocal critics and political rivals. Read fulll story here.

The Indian Union Muslim League has secured its sole win from the Ramanathapuram seat with Navasani K beating former Chief Minister and ousted AIADMK leader O Panneerslevam by 1,66,782 votes.

Adding Vellorem, Kallakurichi, Perambalur and Tenkasi to its kitty, the DMK has secured 10 seats so far in the state. It is currently leading on 12 seats, according to EC data.   

'Narpathum namathey, nadum namathey,' a popular Tamil poll slogan of ruling DMK, which means 'all the 40 constituencies are ours and the nation as well,' is blossoming into a reality with the Dravidian party and its allies set for a spectacular win in all of Tamil Nadu's 39 segments and in the lone Puducherry seat.

Candidates belonging to the DMK and its allies including star nominee Kanimozhi won by huge margins in constituencies where results have been declared and going by the unassailable margins, all other candidates of the Dravidian party and allies Congress, CPI, CPI(M), VCK, MDMK and IUML are all sure to emerge victorious including Dayanidhi Maran (Central Chennai) and T R Baalu (Sriperumbudur), news agency PTI reported.

Even in the constituencies of Coimbatore and Dharmapuri, where BJP and PMK (Saffron party's ally) were confident of a win fell into the DMK's kitty. In Puducherry, where the BJP had hopes of winning has gone the Congress way with senior leader VE Vaithilingam set to win by a big margin.

A key takeaway from the Lok Sabha polls is the continuing popularity of the ruling DMK, led by Stalin and the perfect cohesion at the ground level among alliance partners. Another outcome is the significant contribution of a split in the anti-DMK votes in the victory of candidates belonging to the DMK combine in a number of constituencies.

One of the 39 Lok Sabha constituencies in Tamil Nadu, Chennai Central, is known as the stronghold seat of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party. Its MP Dayanidhi Maran has made sure that the party retains the seat comfortably this time too, as he won by a margin of 2,44,689 votes. He beat BJP's Vinoj, who was far behind at 1,69,159 votes.  

DMK leader Kanimozhi has won from Thoothukudi constituency, defeating AIADMK's Sivasamy Velumani by a margin of 3,92,738 votes

The ruling DMK has secured wins three more seats of Thanjavur, Kancheepuram, and Thhoothukuddi, taking its tally to 5 so far. It winning candidates were Murasolo S, Selvam G and Kanimozhi Karunanidhi. 

DMK leader and former Union Minister A Raja won from the Nilgiris Lok Sabha constituency in Tamil Nadu, defeating Central Minister L Murugan by a margin of 2,40,585 votes, according to the Election Commission.

Raja, who established a clear lead since the counting of votes was taken up in the morning, secured 4,73,212 votes while Murugan polled 2,32,627 votes. AIADMK's D Logesh Tamilselvan finished third, obtaining 2,20,230 votes.

If you are wondering why the results are taking too long to be called, hold on. This is the normal pace of counting and even if the TV channels go ahead and call winners in certain seat, the Election Commission doesn’t declare any winner till the last vote has been counted. For large seats, this normally goes on well into the night. Before EVMs, it would take up to three days for some seats to be declared. Read full explainer here.

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's Dharampuri candidate Mani A wins by a margin of just 21,300 votes. He beat PMK's Sowmya Anbumani. 

Congress's M K Vishnuprasad was declared the winner from the Cuddalore seat by a margin of 1,85,896 votes. He beat DMDK's P Sivakozhundu.   

The DMK is maintaining its streak of electoral victories since 2019 and looks poised for a near-sweep in the Tamil Nadu Lok Sabha polls. With the ruling coalition leading in 38 out of 39 seats, Chief Minister and DMK president M K Stalin’s leadership and his deft handling of alliances, solidifying the state’s largest coalition and keeping it intact since 2019 is being credited with the success.

The DMK-led alliance comprises the Congress, Left parties, Dalit groups, and minority parties.

Read our analysis

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-led INDIA alliance seems to head for a clean sweep with lead in all 39 seats. NDA ally PMK which had leads only in Dharmapuri has trailed while BJP’s Annamalai continued to trail in Coimbatore. 

In at least 5 to 8 seats, Naam Tamilar Katchi, led by Tamil nationalist Seeman, is leading in third position, pushing BJP or AIADMK behind. Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Erode and Nagapattinam are among the seats where NTK is making a significant presence.

Durai Vaiko of Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK), an INDIA bloc ally gains major lead with 1,84,451 votes in Tiruchirapalli. AIADMK trails

DMK candidate Dayanidhi Maran has secured 1,31,0000 votes from Central Chennai constituency whereas BJP candidate Vinoj trailed by 62,493 votes.

DMK continues to maintain its lead in Tamil Nadu with Congress’s Manickam Tagore B overtaking AIADMK ally Vijayaprabhakaran V of Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK. NDA ally continues lead in Dharmapuri.

Matheswaran V S of DMK is leading in Namakkal with just 3216 votes, one of the lowest leads of DMK at present in Tamil Nadu. 

Meanwhile, almost all other major seats where DMK feared a tough battle have improved their positions in favour of them. Vellore, Tirunelveli, Theni, Ramanathapuram and Coimbatore and  Kallakurichi, Villupuram - seats where AIADMK and NDA allies expected to give a tough fight have comfortable leads now. 

DMK’s Mayilarasan D is leading with 22339 votes in Kallakurichi ahead of AIADMK’s R Kumaraguru. Robert Bruce C of Congress is leading with 39,732 votes in Tirunelveli ahead of BJP’s popular candidate, Nainar Nagendran. Nagendran has left the counting station a while ago. 

Thanga Tamilselvan of DMK is leading with 53,451 votes in Theni ahead of TTV Dhinakaran of AMMK, NDA ally. 

Former Chief Minister and ousted AIADMK leader O Panneerslevam is trailing in Ramanathapuram where Navaskani of IUML is leading with 46695 votes. But OPS occupies the second position here, indicating a significant shift of AIADMK votes in his favour. 

BJP former state chief and Telangana, Puducherry governor Tamilisai Soundararajan is trailing in Chennai South by 23744 votes. Radhakrishnan, BJP veteran and a former union minister, is trailing in BJP stronghold, Kanyakumari. Vijay Vasanth of Congress is leading here with 34,414 votes.

In a first, BJP crosses 10 per cent vote share-mark in Tamil Nadu; so far gets 10.21 percent.

PTI

MDMK leader Durai Vaiko, leading in Tamil Nadu's Tiruchirappalli constituency by over 32,000 votes over AIADMK's P Karuppaiah

PTI

Thangavel L of AIADMK trails in Karur. Congress's Jothimani holds the seat currently, News18 reported.

In the communally sensitive Dharmapuri, Sowmiya Anbumani of PMK, an NDA ally, leads with 15,437 votes. With just over 20% of votes counted, many pockets in the constituency could shift the balance. PMK and DMK circles are closely watching this intense battle.

Arun Janardhanan reports

Vijaya Prabhakar of DMDK, an AIADMK ally, is causing concern for the DMK, which is leading in 37 out of 39 seats in Tamil Nadu. Prabhakar, son of the late Captain Vijayakanth, is leading with 7,074 votes. His lead in 5 out of 6 assembly segments in the Virudhunagar Lok Sabha constituency poses a significant challenge.

DMK's Ganapati Rajkumar- 53,580

BJP's Annamalai- 41,167

AIADMK's Singai Ramachandran- 23,396

India Today reported

In Thoothukkudi, DMK candidate Kanimozhi Karunanidhi leads by 54,781 votes while AIADMK's Sivasamy Velumani trails.

BJP state chief Annamalai, who campaigned fiercely, is trailing in Coimbatore, while DMK's Ganapathy Rajkumar is ahead with 3335 votes, News18 reported.

CPM candidate Venkatesan S leads from Madurai while Congress's Vijay Vasanth leads in Kanyakumari. DMK's Thamizhachi Thangapandian leads from Chennai South, News 18 reported.

NDA’s Sowmiya Anbumani is leading in Dharmapuri with 24,000 votes after 15% of votes were counted. 

DMK is leading in Namakkal now, not AIADMK, with 4000 votes. 

AIADMK continue to maintain a slight edge in Virudhunagar 

DMK is maintaining a comfortable lead in over 32 seats since beginning.

AIADMK candidate Tamilmani leads in Namakkal, the first LS segment where Tamil Nadu's main opposition is leading, PTI reported.

The early trends show DMK leading in 38 seats out of 39 and NDA ally PMK leads in Dharmapuri. BJP’s Annamalai trails in Coimbatore as DMK continues its lead

DMK is leading in Coimbatore - in 4 of the six assembly seats - while BJP is leading in two.

Out of total 39 seats, DMK is leading in 38 seats in Tamil Nadu, and NDA ally PMK is leading in Dharmapuri in the first round.

The key to the strong room holding the EVMs for the Ambasamudram Assembly segment in the Tirunelveli parliamentary constituency went missing. For a tense few minutes at the Tirunelveli counting centre, chaos ensued as both the key for the strong room and the lock blocking candidates’ agents from the counting hall were lost. Some agents argued with officials in protest. Even as the strong room keys were found, officials had to break the locks to start counting.

Arun Janardhanan reports

At least 15 candidates from the DMK alliance, including the prominent Dayanidhi Maran, hold a lead in the early postal vote counting. In Tirunelveli, BJP’s Nainar Nagendran has a slight edge. Meanwhile, in Coimbatore, the DMK is leading.

Arun Janardhanan reports

DMK candidate Dayanidhi Maran is taking lead from Chennai Central constituency in Tamil Nadu 2024 Lok Sabha elections, News 18 reported. Postal ballot counting is underway

INDIA alliance leads in 10 seats in Tamil Nadu as postal ballots are counted.

INDIA alliance leads in 16 seats and AIADMK leads in one seat as postal ballots are counted, according to India Today.

INDIA alliance leads in 13 seats in Tamil Nadu as postal ballots are counted, according to NDTV

INDIA alliance leads in two seats in Tamil Nadu as postal ballots are counted, according to NDTV

Pastol ballots are taken up for counting first and later votes cast on EVMs will be counted.

Vote counting has begin across 39 constituencies in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Andaman and Nicobar islands.

Vote counting will begin shortly. Fingers are crossed as the nation awaits to know which political party will lead the country for next five years.

Exit polls predicted big gains for the BJP and our reporter Manoj C G analyses in detail the five things Congress party is looking at.

His analysis is here:

Not only will the results of the mammoth, seven-phase 2024 Lok Sabha polls determine the direction the Indian republic will take in the next five years (or more), they could also potentially decide the contours of electoral politics in the world’s largest democracy, and the future of many political parties in the fray.

As the largest opposition party with a pan-India presence, the Congress has the most to win (or lose). It has already bowed to the relentless pressure brought to bear by the BJP by electing a non-Gandhi to head the party. It has also shown signs of shedding its sloth with Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatras, the electoral impact of which will be revealed tomorrow. For some other regional parties, it’s a battle for survival.

Former Telangana and Puducherry Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan was roped in by the BJP to fight the South Chennai poll battle. Ahead of Tamil Nadu election results, Soundararajan told PTO, "They (opposition) have distrusted the exit polls, they are twisting the exit polls. Exit polls are not exact polls, everybody knows. And it is the media which is projecting it and not the BJP. How opponents are stooping to the low level...the Grand Old Party (Congress) is saying we don't believe in it (exit polls). The opponents, in the fear of their defeat, are deviating from democratic process."

Two types of votes are counted: EVM votes, and votes cast through postal ballots (which are used for senior citizens, physically challenged individuals, service voters, etc). Postal ballots are counted separately from EVM votes.

The process begins with the counting of postal ballots. All postal ballots are counted at the RO’s table.

As vote counting will begin shortly. tight security is in place in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. There are 39 counting centres and vote counting will begin at 8 am. Postal ballots will be counted first and EVMs will be taken up later.

A counting hall may have several counting tables. Since the candidate or their election agent cannot be present at every counting location and table, the law permits the candidate to appoint as many counting agents as there are counting tables, including the table where postal ballots are counted.

The following are allowed to enter the counting hall: counting supervisers, counting assistants, micro-observers, ECI-authorised individuals and Observers, public servants on election duty, and candidates, election agents, and counting agents.
Police officers and government ministers are not classified as “public servants” in this context. No one, including the candidate, RO, or Assistant RO, is permitted to carry a mobile phone inside the counting hall. The only person who can do so is the ECI’s Observer.