The Virudhunagar Assembly constituency in Tamil Nadu is set for a keen contest in the 2026 elections, with multiple parties fielding candidates in this politically significant seat. Traditionally, the electoral battle here has largely revolved around the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the AIADMK, with the Congress and other regional players maintaining a presence.
Virudhunagar is centred around a historic trading town known for its vibrant commercial activity in southern Tamil Nadu. The seat holds strong political significance as the birthplace of K Kamaraj, one of the most influential leaders in the state's political history. With multiple parties in the fray this time, the constituency is expected to witness a competitive fight, where local issues, legacy politics, and party dynamics will play a crucial role in determining the outcome.
Key candidates
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), Congress, the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), and Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) are the main parties in the state. The key candidates for the Virudhunagar seat are DMDK candidate Vijay Prabhakaran, AIADMK's VG Ganesan, TVK leader SP Selvam, and NTK's Lakshmanan, among others.
Virudhunagar Assembly constituency
The Virudhunagar Assembly constituency is one of the 234 constituencies in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. It is constituency number 206 of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. The constituency is a general seat not reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs). The constituency is a part of the Virudhunagar district.
The Virudhunagar Assembly constituency comes under the Virudhunagar Lok Sabha constituency. In 2021, Seenivasan ARR of the DMK won the seat by defeating Pandurangan G of the BJP with a margin of 21,339 votes.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Congress candidate Manickam Tagore won from the Virudhunagar Lok Sabha constituency with a margin of 4,379 votes by defeating Vijayaprabhakaran of the DMDK.
Virudhunagar Constituency Demographic Profile
As per data from the Election Commission, there were 2,24,099 voters in the Virudhunagar constituency during the 2021 Assembly Elections. Out of this, 1,09,582 were male and 1,14,471 were female voters. 46 voters belonged to the third gender. 1,523 postal votes were cast in the constituency. The number of service voters in Virudhunagar in 2021 was 348 (342 men and 6 women).
In 2016, the total number of voters in the Virudhunagar constituency was 2,08,304. Out of this, 1,03,127 voters were male, 1,05,142 were female. 35 voters belonged to a third gender. There were 1,523 postal votes in the constituency. The number of service voters in Virudhunagar in 2016 was 382 (271 men and 111 women).
What happened in the 2021 and 2016 Assembly Elections?
In the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) candidate Seenivasan ARR won the Virudhunagar seat with a margin of 21,339 votes (13.32%). He polled 73,297 votes with a vote share of 45.32%. He defeated Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Pandurangan G, who got 51,958 votes with a vote share of 32.13%. Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) candidate Selvakumar VR stood third with 14,311 votes (8.85%).
In the 2016 Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) candidate Seenivasan ARR won the Virudhunagar seat with a margin of 2,870 votes (1.87%). He polled 65,499 votes with a vote share of 42.71%. He defeated All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) candidate Kalanithi K, who got 62,629 votes with a vote share of 40.84%. Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) candidate Syed Kaja Shareef M stood third with 10,127 votes (6.60 %).
