The 2026 Assembly elections in Tirunelveli are expected to be highly competitive, with no party guaranteed an easy victory.
Published Aug 11, 2025 | 5:00 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 20, 2025 | 9:50 PM
Tirunelveli has five Assembly constituencies, with a total of 14,03,208 registered voters — 7,19,236 women, 6,83,818 men, and 154 voters of other gender identities.
Synopsis: As the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections approach, Tirunelveli’s five constituencies are set to witness intense contests, with the DMK’s strong voter base, the rising presence of the BJP and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, and AIADMK’s shifting fortunes shaping the political landscape.
The wind sweeps down the Agasthyamalai and whistles over the plains of Tirunelveli, a district dotted with several ponds in southern Tamil Nadu.
Hundreds of windmills that keep spinning testify the district’s harnessing of the wind, and earning the sobriquet, Tamil Nadu’s green energy capital as it generates over 25% of the state’s total wind power.
The Agasthyamalai hills cut off the southwest monsoon that often plays traunt in the neighbouring Kerala, and make Tirunelveli a rain-shadow region. Summers are particularly harsh, but the River Thamirabarani — Tamil Nadu’s only perennial river — from Agasthyamalai keeps the district semiarid.
On the northern bank of the river stands the majestic Nellaiappar Temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva. Shiva is worshipped as Nellaiappar, and his consort, Goddess Parvathy, is in the form of Kanthimathi Amman.
Inscriptions from the eighth to the 14th century suggest that Tirunelveli’s economy grew around the temple. The district has references dating back over 3,200 years to the Sangam literature.
The district grew along the banks of the River Thamirabarani, giving rise to what is often referred to as the Porunai riverine civilization. It is home to major archaeological sites, including the historically significant Adichanallur excavations.
Nestled in the natural shadow of the Western Ghats, Tirunelveli was a key administrative hub during British India. It also played a prominent role in the freedom struggle—figures like VO Chidambaram Pillai led uprisings here, with major protests erupting around 1907.
From the Sangam era to colonial rule, Tirunelveli has borne witness to many chapters of Tamil history. The district is widely recognised for its iconic Iruttukadai Halwa, waterfalls, literary heritage, archaeological sites, and picturesque hill ranges.
However, Tirunelveli is also known for intermittent caste conflicts. The district recently witnessed the killing of Kavin Selvaganesh, a young man, for being in love with a woman from a different caste. Over a year ago a schoolboy was in his home by dominant-caste classmates.
Caste continues to play a major role in shaping the electoral outcomes in Tirunelveli.
Prominent political figures from the district include M Appavu, the Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, who was elected from the Radhapuram constituency. Nainar Nagendran, the newly appointed BJP state president, represents the Tirunelveli Assembly constituency. C Robert Bruce of the Congress represents Tirunelveli in the Lok Sabha.
The district comprises five Assembly constituencies, with a total of 14,03,208 registered voters—7,19,236 women, 6,83,818 men, and 154 voters of other gender identities. Below are the five Assembly segments:
The Tirunelveli Assembly constituency, one of the most prominent in the district, has a total of 3,02,715 registered voters—1,55,616 women, 1,47,016 men, and 83 voters of other genders.
In terms of social composition, over 40% of the voters belong to the Vellalar community, while more than 15% belong to the Mukulathor and Scheduled Caste communities. The Nadar community also has a significant presence in the constituency.
Nainar Nagendran, who belongs to the Mukulathor community, represents this segment in the state Assembly. A former AIADMK minister, he has been elected as an MLA from this constituency three times. In Tirunelveli, the Vellalar and Mukulathor communities play a decisive role in determining electoral outcomes.
Recently appointed as the BJP’s Tamil Nadu state President, Nagendran is believed to have been chosen for the role to help consolidate the Mukulathor vote bank, which holds sway across the southern districts. Political observers suggest that with AIADMK factions led by O Panneerselvam, Edappadi K Palaniswami, and TTV Dhinakaran standing divided, the BJP sees an opportunity to attract this crucial voter base.
Historically, this constituency alternated between the AIADMK and DMK, with AIADMK winning more often than the DMK. Given Nagendran’s community support and his alignment with the AIADMK-BJP alliance, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is considered to have a strong chance in Tirunelveli.
Initially known as the Melapalayam constituency from 1967 to 1971, it was reorganised and renamed Palayamkottai in 1976 following constituency delimitation.
The historic Palayamkottai prison is in the constituency. Built by the British in the 1880s, it now functions as the Palayamkottai Central Prison. Several freedom fighters, including poet Subramania Bharathi and VO Chidambaram Pillai, were once imprisoned here, along with many other leaders.
The constituency has 2,76,561 voters—1,41,355 women, 1,35,179 men, and 27 voters of other genders.
Currently, the seat is held by Abdul Wahab of the DMK, who also serves as the party’s district secretary. With over 40% of the population being from the Muslim community, DMK has consistently won this seat for more than 20 years, making it a stronghold for the party. DMK has a significantly better track record than AIADMK in this constituency.
Besides Muslims, the constituency also has substantial numbers of Scheduled Castes, Mukulathors, Nadars, and Vellalars. Christians form the next largest religious group after Muslims.
Given the dominance of Muslim and Christian voters, most political parties field candidates from these two religions in this constituency. This religious demographic plays a decisive role in shaping electoral outcomes here.
With AIADMK’s internal divisions and DMK’s consistent voter base, the Palayamkottai seat continues to favour DMK, making it one of the party’s safest bets in the region.
Radhapuram, the constituency of the current Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, M Appavu, has a total of 2,70,491 registered voters, including 1,37,829 women, 1,32,639 men, and 23 voters of other gender identities.
The Nadar community accounts for nearly 50% of the population in Radhapuram, making it the most influential group in determining electoral outcomes. Appavu is from the community. He defeated IS Inbathurai, the AIADMK’s legal wing leader and now a Rajya Sabha MP, who also belongs to the Nadar community.
The constituency also comprises more than 20% fishermen and around 15% Mukulathor and Scheduled Caste voters, along with a significant presence of other communities.
Radhapuram has traditionally been a stronghold of the DMK-Congress alliance. Apart from a couple of exceptions, AIADMK has not seen significant victories in this constituency.
Currently, the seat remains favourable to the DMK alliance. However, Inbathurai continues to enjoy significant support at the grassroots, making AIADMK a formidable challenger. At the same time, actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam appears to be gaining favour among the Meenavar community, making the race more dynamic.
Nanguneri, considered a stronghold of the DMK-Congress alliance, has a total of 2,94,800 voters, with 1,50,779 women, 1,44,008 men, and 13 voters of other genders.
It is regarded as a caste-sensitive constituency, with over 40% of the population belonging to the Nadar community, and around 20% Mukulathor. Other communities are also present in significant numbers.
The Congress has long maintained a strong base in Nanguneri. Combined with the DMK’s voter support, the alliance has consistently dominated the constituency. Ruby R Manoharan of the Congress is now the MLA.
It is being speculated that in the upcoming Assembly election, BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan may contest from this constituency.
While there continues to be fierce competition between the DMK alliance and the AIADMK, prevailing trends and voter patterns suggest that the DMK-led alliance is likely to retain the seat.
Ambasamudram is the only constituency in the district represented by an AIADMK MLA. The segment has long been considered a stronghold of the party.
The constituency has a total of 2,58,641 registered voters, including 1,33,657 women, 1,24,976 men, and eight voters of other genders.
Key political figures in this constituency include Avudaiyappan from the DMK and Esakki Subbiah from the AIADMK. With Mukulathors forming over 30% of the population, followed closely by a significant Nadar community presence, the constituency also has more than 20% Scheduled Caste voters and a notable number of Muslims and other communities.
Electoral victories hinge on who manages to secure the majority of votes from the Mukulathor and Nadar communities. In the last three elections, AIADMK candidates have emerged victorious, particularly Subbiah, a Mukulathor community member, who has consistently won the seat.
AIADMK has maintained dominance here due to its strong social base, while the DMK has struggled to gain ground. With no other significant party presence, AIADMK has enjoyed a clear advantage. However, this time around, a tight contest is expected between AIADMK and DMK.
The Tirunelveli parliamentary constituency comprises five Assembly constituencies from Tirunelveli district, along with the Alangulam constituency from Tenkasi district.
This seat has largely alternated between the DMK and Congress, who have been the dominant political forces in recent years. In the last two elections, these two parties have won the seat alternately.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Robert Bruce of the Congress contested on behalf of the INDIA bloc, defeating Nagendran of the BJP. M. Jancy Rani of the AIADMK came third.
Out of a total of 16.5 lakh voters, Bruce won 5,02,296 votes, Nagendran 3,36,676 votes, and Rani 89,601 votes.
As the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections approach, Tirunelveli’s five constituencies are set to witness intense contests, with the DMK’s strong voter base, the rising presence of the BJP and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, and AIADMK’s shifting fortunes shaping the political landscape.
The recent caste-based murder of software engineer Kavin Selvaganesh has sparked resentment among Scheduled Caste communities, who make up nearly 20% of the district’s population. This discontent with the DMK government could impact the upcoming elections.
The renewed alliance between the BJP and AIADMK, led in the region by Nagendran, could help consolidate the influential Nadar and Mukulathor votes.
In addition, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam and Naam Tamilar Katchi have also built a notable support base among young voters in Tirunelveli, adding further layers to the upcoming electoral contest.
Given these dynamics, the 2026 Assembly elections in Tirunelveli are expected to be highly competitive, with no party guaranteed an easy victory.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
