The AIADMK on Wednesday formally announced its seat-sharing arrangement with alliance partners ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, with General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami laying out exactly who contests where across the 234-seat legislature.
Voting is scheduled for April 23 in a single phase. Results will be declared on May 4.
How the seats have been divided
The AIADMK has retained the bulk of constituencies for itself while distributing seats across six alliance partners. Here is how the breakdown looks:
- BJP — 27 seats
- PMK — 18 seats
- AMMK — 11 seats
- TMC-M — 5 seats (contested on BJP symbol)
- IJK — 2 seats
- TMMK — 1 seat
- Puratchi Bharatham Katchi — 1 seat
- SIFB — 1 seat (contested on BJP symbol)
- AIADMK — remaining seats
The BJP’s 27 constituencies
The BJP has been given a significant 27-seat share, spread across the state — from urban strongholds to southern coastal belts. The seats are Mylapore, Thalli, Modakkurichi, Udhagamandalam, Avinashi, Tiruppur South, Coimbatore North, Gandarvakottai, Pudukkottai, Tiruppattur, Madurai South, Sattur, Tiruchendur, Vasudevanallur, Radhapuram, Nagercoil, Vilavancode, Avadi, Tiruvannamalai, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Aranthangi, Manamadurai, Ramanathapuram, Colachel, Padmanabhapuram and Rasipuram.
PMK gets 18, with a focus on its traditional base
The Pattali Makkal Katchi, which draws its core support from the Vanniyar community concentrated in northern Tamil Nadu, has been allotted 18 seats — Salem West, Dharmapuri, Pennagaram, Vikravandi, Sholingur, Mayiladuthurai, Tiruporur, Uthiramerur, Jayankondam, Polur, Gingee, Virudhachalam, Rishivandiyam, Kattumannarkoil, Kilvelur, Perambur, Salem North and Ambattur.
AMMK contests 11 seats
The Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam, the party floated by TTV Dhinakaran after the split within the AIADMK, will contest 11 seats — Periyakulam, Mannargudi, Thiruvaiyaru, Karaikudi, Tiruppattur, Nanguneri, Ottapidaram, Tiruchirappalli West, Saidapet, Poonamallee and Madathukulam.
Symbol-sharing arrangement for smaller partners
Two smaller parties in the alliance will contest under the BJP’s election symbol rather than their own. The Tamil Maanila Congress-Moopanar has been given 5 seats — Oddanchatram, Erode West, Ranipet, Killiyoor and Kumbakonam — but will field candidates on the BJP symbol. Similarly, the South Indian Forward Bloc will contest the Madurai South seat on the BJP symbol.
The remaining allocations go to the Indhiya Jananayaga Katchi, which gets Pallavaram and Kunnam, the Tamizhaga Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam which gets Rajapalayam, and the Puratchi Bharatham Katchi which has been given Kilvaithinankuppam.
The election landscape
Tamil Nadu goes to the polls with approximately 5.67 crore registered voters on the rolls. Of the 234 Assembly constituencies, 44 are reserved for Scheduled Castes and 2 for Scheduled Tribes.
The AIADMK alliance will face a formidable contest from the ruling DMK and its partners, which include the Indian National Congress. The election has also drawn fresh attention due to the entry of actor Vijay’s Tamil Nadu Kongu party, which is contesting its first Assembly election and has generated significant interest among younger voters across the state.
The AIADMK also released its poll manifesto on Tuesday, promising a wide package of welfare measures targeted at women, the elderly and families, a clear signal that the party intends to fight the election on governance and welfare ground rather than purely on political identity.
With the seat-sharing now locked in, all alliance partners will begin finalising their candidate lists ahead of the nomination deadlines.
