In the Sankarankovil Assembly constituency, AIADMK candidate Dr. Dhilipan Jaishankar emerged victorious in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly election, defeating Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) candidate C. Ramarajan by a margin of 6,489 votes. Congress candidate Sangai Ganesan also contested the seat but finished third.
Constituency Overview
Sankarankovil is a Scheduled Caste (SC)-reserved constituency located in the Tenkasi district of Tamil Nadu. It forms part of the Tenkasi Lok Sabha constituency. The region is known for the prominent Sankarankoil Harihara temple and is primarily agricultural, with rice, sugarcane, and cotton being the main crops.
Current MLA and Previous Election Results
The sitting MLA is E Raja of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), who was elected in the 2021 assembly election. He secured 71,347 votes, which accounted for 39.34% of the vote share, defeating V M Rajalakshmi of the AIADMK, who received 66,050 votes. The margin of victory was 5,297 votes. As of March 2026, Raja held the office ahead of the state polls.
Key Issues in the Constituency
The Sankarankovil constituency grapples with several pressing issues. These include irrigation shortages, poor rural infrastructure such as roads and power supply, limited access to healthcare, high unemployment among the youth, disputes over caste quotas, particularly the Vanniyar reservation, and challenges in the delivery of welfare schemes in this agrarian belt.
2026 Election Context
The 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly election saw the TVK party, led by actor Vijay, emerge as a formidable force, pushing both the DMK and AIADMK to the margins. In other state results, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) managed to retain Assam, while in West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee lagged behind Suvendu Adhikari after the second round of counting in Bhabanipur.
For comprehensive coverage of the 2026 election results, including live updates, winner lists, constituency-wise outcomes, and party-wise trends for Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala, Assam, and Puducherry, follow the Times of India.
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