Tamil Nadu News

T.N. Assembly election 2026

March 17 , 2026 13 hrs 0 min 19 0

With the announcement of the Tamil Nadu Assembly election schedule on March 15, political parties will get a 38-day window to undertake campaigning.
It will end at 5 p.m. on April 21, before polling is held on April 23.
The window for campaigning in this election is the same as that of the 2021 Assembly election, which was held amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2016, candidates had over 70 days to campaign, while in 2011 the campaign period was over 40 days.
Further, the 2026 election cycle represents Tamil Nadu’s most compressed poll schedule since 2011.
This means the administrative freeze on announcing new policies and schemes or floating tenders during the Model Code of Conduct will be relatively brief.
From the date of announcement to the counting of votes on May 4, the entire process spans 51 days in this election.
In comparison, the time frame stretched to 66 days in 2021, 77 days in 2016, and 74 days in 2011.
The gap between polling of votes and counting has been reduced from 25 days in 2021 to 10 days this time.
The term of the 16th Tamil Nadu Assembly will end on May 10.
The total number of electors in Tamil Nadu, according to the electoral rolls, is 5.67 crore.
There are 75,032 polling booths, including 44,065 in rural areas and 30,967 in urban areas.
The average number of electors per booth is 756.
A polling booth will be established at Vellimalai in Varusanadu in Theni district to help just five voters exercise their franchise.
Of the 234 Assembly constituencies, 44 are reserved for candidates of the Scheduled Castes and two are reserved for candidates of the Scheduled Tribes.