[Vote Counting Live] Tamil Nadu Election Results 2026: DMK and AIADMK face off in tight power race as counting of votes to begin at 8 am

Tamil Nadu Election Results 2026 Live Updates: The counting of votes for all 234 constituencies of the Tamil Nadu Assembly will begin on Monday morning (May 4), with the Election Commission of India (ECI) overseeing a multi-layered security arrangement across counting centres in the state.

Results are expected to come in throughout the day.

The counting process will start at 8 am with postal ballots, followed by the counting of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) from 8:30 am onwards.

The ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), led by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, along with its ally Congress, is seeking another term in power. The DMK-led alliance has fielded candidates in 164 seats, while Congress is contesting 28 constituencies.

On the other side, the opposition All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) has tied up with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other regional partners, aiming to return to power after four years. AIADMK is contesting 167 seats, BJP is in the fray for 27 seats, Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) for 18 seats, and TTV Dhinakaran's AMMK has been allotted 11 constituencies.

Adding a new dimension to the contest is actor-turned-politician Vijay and his party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), which is making its electoral debut and drawing significant public attention.

A party needs at least 118 seats in the 234-member Assembly to form the government.

Security arrangements at counting centres

The Election Commission has put in place a three-tier security system to ensure smooth and transparent counting.

A total of 10,545 personnel have been deployed for counting duties, along with 4,624 micro-observers monitoring the process.

The first security layer restricts access within 100 metres of counting centres to authorised personnel only. The second layer at entry points is being handled by State Armed Police, where mobile phones are allowed only in designated zones. The innermost layer, covering counting halls and EVM strong rooms, is secured by Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), with strict frisking procedures in place.

Counting will take place across 62 designated centres, covering votes from 75,064 polling stations along with postal ballots.

Record voter turnout in Tamil Nadu

The April 23 polling saw a historic turnout of 84.69%, the highest recorded in Tamil Nadu since Independence. The previous highest turnout was 78.29% in 2011.

The electorate included more than 5.73 crore voters, with 2.93 crore women, 2.80 crore men, and 7,728 third-gender voters. There were also over 14.59 lakh first-time voters and 68,501 service voters. Postal ballots accounted for 4,18,541 votes.

Among districts, Karur recorded the highest turnout at 92.62%, while Kanniyakumari saw the lowest at 75.61%.

In Chennai, Perambur constituency, where Vijay is contesting, recorded 89.73% turnout, while Mylapore registered 74.89%. Kolathur, represented by Chief Minister Stalin, saw 86.11% polling.

What exit polls suggest

Exit poll predictions have largely indicated an advantage for the DMK-led alliance, though there is variation in projections across agencies. The final outcome, however, will only be clear once counting progresses.

Looking back at 2021 assembly results

In the previous assembly elections held in 2021, the DMK secured 133 seats, while its ally Congress won 18 seats.

On the NDA side, AIADMK contested 191 seats and won 66. The BJP won 4 out of 20 seats it contested, while PMK secured 5 seats from 23.

Since the passing of former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa in 2017, AIADMK has been facing internal challenges and a gradual decline in its electoral strength.