Elections in Tamil Nadu

Elections in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu are conducted every five years to elect members to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly and members of parliament to the Lok Sabha. There are 234 assembly constituencies and 39 Lok Sabha constituencies. The state has conducted 16 assembly elections and 18 Lok Sabha elections since independence.

The Governor of Tamil Nadu is the ceremonial head of the state. However, it is the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu who is the leader of the party or political alliance having a majority in the state elections to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. The chief minister is the leader of the executive branch of the government of Tamil Nadu. The chief minister is the chief adviser to the governor of Tamil Nadu and the head of the state council of ministers.

Elections
The Election Commission of India (ECI) is responsible for monitoring and administering the elections for the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and Lok Sabha (House of the People) of the Parliament and the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. The ECI appoints the chief electoral officer of Tamil Nadu, an IAS officer who oversees state-level election matters.

The Tamil Nadu State Election Commission is the state body of Tamil Nadu that is enacted under the provisions of the constitution and is responsible for monitoring and administering the elections for local government in Tamil Nadu. This body is responsible for ensuring elections are free and fair, without any bias.

Elections ensure the conduct of members pre-elections, during elections, and post-elections is as per statutory legislation.

All election-related disputes are handled by the election commission. The Madras High Court has held that where the enacted laws are silent or make insufficient provisions to deal with a given situation in the conduct of elections, the election commission has the residuary powers under the constitution to act as appropriate.

Types of elections
Elections in Tamil Nadu include elections for:
 * Members of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha (Upper House)
 * Members of Parliament in the Lok Sabha (Lower House)
 * Members of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly
 * Members of local governance bodies (municipal bodies and panchayats)
 * A bye-election is held when the seat-holder of a particular constituency dies, resigns, or is disqualified.

Rajya Sabha elections
Members of parliament in the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) from Tamil Nadu are not directly elected by being voted upon by all adult citizens of the state but by the members of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. Candidates who win the Rajya Sabha elections are called "Members of Parliament" and hold their seats for six years. The house meets in the Rajya Sabha Chamber of the Sansad Bhavan in New Delhi on matters relating to the creation of new laws or removing or improving the existing laws that affect all citizens of India. Elections take place to elect 18 members from Tamil Nadu.

Lok Sabha elections
Members of parliament in the Lok Sabha (House of the People) from Tamil Nadu are directly elected by being voted upon by all adult citizens of the state from a set of candidates who stand in their respective constituencies. Every adult citizen of India can vote only in their constituency. Candidates who win the Lok Sabha elections are called "Members of Parliament" and hold their seats for five years or until the body is dissolved by the president of India on the advice of the council of ministers. The house meets in the Lok Sabha Chamber of the Sansad Bhavan in New Delhi on matters relating to the creation of new laws or removing or improving the existing laws that affect all citizens of India. Elections take place once every five years to elect 39 members from Tamil Nadu. {|class="wikitable"


 * +style="text-align:left;"|Lok Sabha election results
 * 1977 tamil nadu lok sabha election map.png (1977)]]
 * 1980 tamil nadu lok sabha election map.png (1980)]]
 * 1984 tamil nadu lok sabha election map.png (1984)]]
 * 1989 tamil nadu lok sabha election map.png (1989)]]
 * 1991 tamil nadu lok sabha election map.png (1991)]]
 * 1996 tamil nadu lok sabha election map.png (1996)]]
 * 1998 tamil nadu lok sabha election map.png (1998)]]
 * 1999 tamil nadu lok sabha election map.png (1999)]]
 * 2004 tamil nadu lok sabha election map.png (2004)]]
 * 2009 tamil nadu lok sabha election map.png (2009)]]
 * 2014 Tamil Nadu Lok Sabha result by constituency.PNG (2014)]]
 * 2019 Tamil Nadu Lok Sabha result by constituency.svg (2019)]]
 * 2024 Tamil Nadu Lok Sabha election results.svg (2024)]]

Legislative Assembly elections
Members of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly are directly elected by being voted upon by all adult citizens of the state from a set of candidates who stand in their respective constituencies. Every adult citizen of India can vote only in their constituency. Candidates who win the legislative assembly elections are called "Members of the Legislative Assembly" and hold their seats for five years or until the body is dissolved by the governor of Tamil Nadu on the advice of the council of ministers. The house meets in the Assembly Chamber of the Chief Secretariat in Chennai on matters relating to the creation of new laws or removing or improving the existing laws that affect all citizens of Tamil Nadu. Elections take place once every five years to elect 234 members to the legislative assembly. The leader of the majority party or alliance takes oath as chief minister of Tamil Nadu. {|class="wikitable"


 * +style="text-align:left;"|Legislative Assembly election results
 * 1977 tamil nadu legislative election map.png)]]
 * 1980 tamil nadu legislative election map.png)]]
 * 1984 tamil nadu legislative election map.png)]]
 * 1989 tamil nadu legislative election map.png)]]
 * 1991 tamil nadu legislative election map.png)]]
 * 1996 tamil nadu legislative election map.png)]]
 * 2001 tamil nadu legislative election map.png (2001)]]
 * 2006 tamil nadu legislative election map.jpg (2006)]]
 * 2011 Tamil Nadu Legislative Election Map by Parties.svg (2011)]]
 * Tamil Nadu assembly election 2016 results.png (2016)]]
 * 2021 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election result.png (2021)]]

Bye-election
When an elected candidate to either the Rajya Sabha, Lok Sabha, or Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly leaves the office vacant before their term ends, a bye-election is conducted to find a suitable replacement to fill the vacant position. It is often referred to as by-polls.

Common reasons for bye-elections:
 * Resignation of the sitting M.P. or an M.L.A.
 * Death of the sitting M.P. or an M.L.A.

But other reasons occur when the incumbent is disqualified for being ineligible to continue in office (criminal conviction, failure to maintain a minimum level of attendance in the office due to election irregularities found later, or when a candidate wins more than one seat and has to vacate one).