TN Elections 2026: 85.10% Turnout, Women Voters Outnumber Men

The 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly polls recorded an 85.10% voter turnout, with women significantly outnumbering men. Karur saw the highest participation at 93.41%, while Madurai North had the lowest. The ECI has detailed its counting logistics.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has released the final logistical and statistical roadmap for the 2026 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly General Elections, revealing a statewide voter turnout of 85.10 per cent. Official data indicates that out of the total 4.87 crore citizens who exercised their franchise, women significantly outnumbered men, marking a notable trend in the state's democratic participation.

Statewide Voter Turnout Details

According to the official voter turnout report (GETNLA-2026), a total of 48,798,833 votes were polled across 234 constituencies. The demographic breakdown shows that 25,259,596 female voters cast their ballots, outperforming the 23,534,720 male voters. Additionally, 4,517 voters from the 'Other' category participated in the polls.

Constituency and District-wise Performance

The Karur constituency recorded the highest voter participation in the state at an impressive 93.41 per cent, closely followed by Veerapandi at 93.36 per cent. In contrast, Madurai North saw the state's lowest turnout at 72.22 per cent.

In Ramanathapuram district, across the four constituencies, there were a total of 11,29,733 voters, including 5,59,525 male voters, 5,70,152 female voters and 56 third gender voters. Of these, 3,98,108 male voters, 4,70,163 female voters and 28 third gender voters, totalling 8,68,299 voters, cast their votes.

Massive Arrangements for Vote Counting

To ensure a smooth and transparent counting process, the Election Commission has put in place a comprehensive infrastructure involving 4,611 counting tables in total. This logistical network includes 3,324 tables dedicated to Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), 993 tables for Postal Ballots, and 294 tables for the Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBMS) pre-counting.

Logistical Breakdown: Centres and Tables

The massive exercise involves the tabulation of records from 75,064 polling stations across the state. Counting operations will be conducted across 62 designated centres strategically located in various districts. High-profile institutions such as Loyola College, Queen Mary's College, and Anna University in Chennai have been converted into counting hubs. Other major regional centres include the Government College of Technology in Coimbatore and Jamal Mohamed Arts and Science College in Tiruchirappalli.

Among districts, Chennai has the highest number of counting tables with 291 across 16 constituencies, followed by Thiruvallur with 224 tables. The Shozhinganallur constituency has been allocated the highest number of tables at 30, considering the volume of records to be processed.

The Election Commission stated that all arrangements have been finalised to ensure that the mandate of over 48 million voters is processed with efficiency, transparency and security. The counting of votes will take place on May 4.

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