At least 220 candidates who won in the recently-concluded Tamil Nadu Assembly election, secured less than 50% of the total votes polled in their respective constituencies, said a report by the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) and the Tamil Nadu Election Watch (TNEW) released on Tuesday (June 2, 2026).

They analysed the vote share for all 234 constituencies in the State. The voter turnout for the 2026 election was 85.91% whereas the turnout in 2021 Assembly polls was 73.45%.

The report, which analysed the vote share and margin of victory, said the winners of the Tamil Nadu Assembly election in 2026, won with an average of 38.99% of total votes polled. In the 2021 election, the winners won with an average of 48.37% polled, it added.

Fourteen candidates who won secured either 50% or more than 50% of the total votes polled in their respective constituencies. A total of 15 winners had won with a victory margin of less than 1,000 votes, while eight winners have won with more than 25% margin of victory, the report said.

A total of 11 out of 194 crorepati winners analysed have won with a vote share of 50% and above, while three out of 40 non-crorepati winners have won with a vote share of 50% and above.

Women winners

As far as women’s representation was concerned, among the 234 winners, only 23 are women. All of them won with 32% and above of vote share in their constituencies.

All 23 women candidates who emerged victorious won with 32% and above of vote share in their constituencies. “Among the women winners, V. Sathyabama (TVK) from Tiruppur (North) constituency has won with the highest vote share of 49.88% in her constituency,” the report stated.

Out of 4,93,24,125 votes polled, 1,99,805 (0.41%) were polled for NOTA.