Runner-up and third-place analysis — Tamil Nadu Election Result 2026 | TNElectionResult.com
Party-wise runner-up finishes, third-place pressure, close deficits and constituency drilldowns for Tamil Nadu Election 2026.
- Constituencies234
- Seats under 5,00061
- Seats under 1,00015
- Closest margin1
- Most runner-upDMK
- Most third-placeADMK
Direct answer
DMK had the strongest runner-up depth with 80 second-place finishes. ADMK had the most third-place finishes with 81. The result included 61 seats decided by 5,000 votes or fewer.
Party depth beyond wins
| Party | Won | Runner-up | Third | Contested | Vote share | Avg runner-up gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TVK | 108 | 74 | 51 | 233 | 35.07% | 10,614 |
| DMK | 59 | 80 | 37 | 176 | 24.28% | 22,000 |
| ADMK | 47 | 44 | 81 | 172 | 21.30% | 12,300 |
| INC | 5 | 11 | 12 | 28 | 3.38% | 24,147 |
| PMK | 4 | 5 | 9 | 18 | 2.18% | 25,525 |
| VCK | 2 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 1.10% | 23,114 |
| CPI | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 0.66% | 8,581 |
| CPI(M) | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 0.60% | 53,564 |
| IUML | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.29% | — |
| BJP | 1 | 8 | 24 | 33 | 2.99% | 13,051 |
| DMDK | 1 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 1.20% | 18,602 |
| AMMKMNKZ | 1 | 1 | 9 | 11 | 0.87% | 15,968 |
Closest runner-up deficits
| AC | Constituency | Runner-up party | Candidate | Winner | Deficit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #185 | TIRUPPATTUR | DMK | PERIAKARUPPAN. KR | SEENIVASA SETHUPATHY. R (TVK) | 1 |
| #54 | VEPPANAHALLI | ADMK | MUNUSAMY.K.P | SRINIVASAN.P.S (DMK) | 138 |
| #229 | KANNIYAKUMARI | DMK | MAHESH.R | THALAVAI SUNDARAM. N (ADMK) | 214 |
| #66 | POLUR | DMDK | SARAVANAN. P | ABISHEK. R (TVK) | 227 |
| #76 | TIRUKKOYILUR | TVK | VIJAY R BARANIBALAAJI | PALANISAMY S (ADMK) | 285 |
| #95 | PARAMATHI-VELUR | DMK | MOORTHIY K S | SEKAR S (ADMK) | 308 |
| #137 | KULITHALAI | TVK | G.BALASUBRAMANI | SURIYANUR. A. CHANDRAN (DMK) | 579 |
| #171 | KUMBAKONAM | DMK | ANBALAGAN G | VINOTH (TVK) | 679 |
| #127 | PALANI | TVK | DR. PRAVEEN KUMAR. M | RAVIMANOHARAN. K (ADMK) | 693 |
| #72 | TINDIVANAM | ADMK | ARJUNAN. P | VANNI ARASU (VCK) | 734 |
| #201 | CUMBUM | DMK | ERAMAKRISHNAN N | JEGANATHMISHRA PLA (TVK) | 751 |
| #80 | KALLAKURICHI | ADMK | RAJEEVGANDHI S | ARUL VIGNESH C (TVK) | 798 |
Third-place pressure
| AC | Constituency | Third-place party | Candidate | Behind runner-up | Winner margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #100 | MODAKKURICHI | DMK | S.SENTHILNATHAN | 49 | 2,430 |
| #155 | CUDDALORE | ADMK | M.C.SAMPATH | 79 | 15,519 |
| #110 | COONOOR | TVK | C. THANGARAJU | 146 | 8,099 |
| #45 | KILVAITHINANKUPPAM | DMK | DR. RAJESWARI. R | 152 | 20,255 |
| #34 | CHEYYUR | VCK | SINTHANAI SELVAN | 232 | 5,668 |
| #67 | ARANI | TVK | VENKATESH KUMAR. D | 247 | 5,631 |
| #49 | JOLARPET | DMK | KAVITHADHANDAPANI | 573 | 16,083 |
| #38 | ARAKKONAM | ADMK | S. RAVI | 603 | 23,121 |
| #188 | MELUR | ADMK | P.PERIYAPULLAN (A) SELVAM | 612 | 2,724 |
| #223 | ALANGULAM | TVK | VIBIN CHAKKARAVARTHY | 688 | 7,798 |
| #128 | ODDANCHATRAM | TVK | MOHAN. S | 695 | 43,249 |
| #127 | PALANI | CPI(M) | PANDI. N | 759 | 693 |
Common questions
What is party rank depth?
Party rank depth counts not only wins but also second-place and third-place finishes, which helps identify where parties were competitive even without winning seats.
Why are runner-up gaps useful?
Runner-up gaps show how many votes separated a party from victory in each constituency.