Voting for Tamil Nadu elections today: Fate of 4023 candidates on 234 assembly seats will be decided

By Samira Vishwas On Apr 23, 2026

Chennai, 22 April. Preparations for voting for Tamil Nadu Assembly elections on Thursday have been completed. In the voting to be held on all 234 seats, more than 5.73 crore voters will decide the future of 4023 candidates. This election is considered very important amid tight security arrangements and strict monitoring on inducements.

Join us for the grand celebration of democracy
The Election Commission of India invites every voter of Tamil Nadu to be a proud participant in the #TamilNaduAssemblyElections2026
Let’s make our votes count!#TamilNaduElections2026 #LoktantraKaTyohar #ECI pic.twitter.com/kWkrJQQPBU
— Election Commission of India (@ECISVEEP) April 22, 2026

DMK coalition led by INDIA and NDA main competition between

This time the contest is mainly between DMK led alliance INDIA and AIADMK led NDA. On one hand CM M.K. Stalin is trying to retain power while on the other hand Edappadi K of AIADMK is trying to retain power. Palaniswami is pushing for a comeback after five years.

State Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik said that all preparations have been completed. He said, ‘The total number of voters is 5.73 crore, which includes 2.93 crore women, 2.83 crore men and 7,728 third gender voters.’

This time the participation of young voters is also special

This time a total of 14,59,039 first-time voters have been registered, which may impact the electoral picture. 75,064 polling stations have been set up at 33,133 places for voting. For this, 1,06,418 ballot units, 75,064 control units and VVPAT machines have been deployed. To deal with any technical problem, a reserve of 20 percent of EVM and 30 percent of VVPAT has also been kept.

Glimpses from the festival of democracy in #TamilNadu
In Theni district, polling parties are on the move, committed to conducting elections with efficiency and integrity.#ECI #TamilNaduElections2026 pic.twitter.com/pBYeeemFxS
— Election Commission of India (@ECISVEEP) April 22, 2026

total so far 1,262 Goods worth crores seized

Large scale action has been taken to prevent influence of money and material during elections. A total of goods worth Rs 1,262 crore have been seized so far. This includes Rs 543 crore in cash and other items. Strictness has also been shown on digital platforms. 163 FIRs have been registered and 2,180 URLs have been removed or blocked. Additionally, 243 rebuttals were issued against misinformation spread on social media.

Action has also been taken on cases of digital bribery and use of slips resembling coupons or checks in lieu of cash. The CEO clarified that FIR has been registered in all such cases and monitoring is going on with the help of cyber crime units. Preparations are also extensive in terms of logistics.

till now through postal ballots 4,18,541 votes have been cast

Of the total voters, 68,501 are included in the service voter list. In which 909 soldiers have joined for the first time. So far, 4,18,541 votes have been cast through postal ballots while 1,10,595 election duty certificates have been issued. 3,98,513 voters above 85 years of age are also included in the list. Many of them have used the voting facility from home.

Special arrangements for inclusive elections

Special arrangements have been made for inclusive elections. 249 model polling stations, 325 pink booths, 71 physically challenged booths and 29 youth operated booths have been created. Green polling stations are also being used in some districts.