The recent Assembly election results have shown that representation for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) beyond reserved constituencies continues to remain limited in the State Assembly.

Among the four principal contenders in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections — the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance, the AIADMK-led National Democratic Alliance, and the Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) — only one Scheduled Caste (SC) candidate has been elected from a general constituency.

The 234-member House has 44 Assembly segments reserved for SCs, while two Assembly segments — Yercaud in Salem district and Senthamangalam in Namakkal district — are reserved for STs. Barring the AIADMK front, the other three formations had fielded candidates belonging to either the SC or ST communities in general constituencies. In such contests, the lone MLA elect was P. Viswanathan of the Congress, who contested from the Melur Assembly segment in Madurai district. A former legislator from the Kancheepuram Lok Sabha segment, Mr. Viswanathan defeated his nearest rival A. Maduraiveeran of the TVK by a margin of more than 2,000 votes.

However, the NTK fielded a substantial number of SC/ST candidates in general constituencies, although the party failed to open its account in the Assembly. At Thousand Lights in Chennai, a general Assembly segment, the NTK fielded an SC candidate, Mu. Kalanjiyam. He finished fourth, while J.C.D. Prabhakar of the TVK won the seat. Apart from core Chennai, the NTK also fielded SC candidates in Pallavaram, Thiruporur, Pappireddipatti, Vikkravandi, Aranthangi, and Bodinayakkanur — all general constituencies. The party finished fourth in all these Assembly segments.

The party, which has consistently given an equal number of seats to women in the last few elections, also fielded a woman candidate, B. Murugeswari, who belongs to an ST community in Palani Assembly segment. She finished fourth, while the AIADMK’s nominee K. Ravimanoharan won the seat. The TVK also fielded one SC candidate in a general constituency. A. Jagadesan of the TVK contested from Sankarapuram and finished third.

Apart from the general constituencies, the 46 reserved Assembly segments often played a decisive role in shaping the overall electoral outcome, as they are spread across multiple regions of Tamil Nadu. In the 2026 Assembly election, the TVK, which emerged as the single largest party with 108 seats, performed strongly in reserved constituencies as well. Of the 44 Assembly segments reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs), the party won 23 seats. The DMK, which traditionally enjoyed strong support in reserved constituencies, managed to secure only nine seats, while the AIADMK won eight.

Among the smaller parties, the VCK won Kattumannarkoil and Tindivanam. The CPI and CPI(M) retained Thiruthuraipoondi in Tiruvarur district and Kilvelur in Nagapattinam district respectively. Of the two constituencies reserved for Scheduled Tribes (STs), the AIADMK won Yercaud in Salem district, while the TVK secured Senthamangalam in Namakkal district.

Compared to the 2021 Assembly election, the TVK has significantly outperformed both the DMK and the AIADMK in reserved constituencies. In 2021, the DMK-led alliance had dominated the SC-reserved seats by winning 28 constituencies. The DMK alone won 21 seats, while its allies Congress, VCK and CPI(M) secured two seats each, and the CPI won one seat. This performance helped the DMK-led alliance cross the majority mark comfortably.