AIADMK's landslide comeback
What happened
The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam returned to power in Tamil Nadu, defeating the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in a landslide.
It won 132 of the 234 seats on offer.
That was a comeback from 4 seats it held after the previous election.
The ADMK took 56.4% of the seats on 31.4% of the vote — the slice of all ballots cast that went to one party or candidate.
The DMK collapsed to 31 seats on 30.9% of the vote.
The campaign
Jayalalithaa was convicted in the TANSI land case on 9 October 2000 and barred from contesting the election. The Madras High Court stayed her conviction the next month, but she remained disqualified under Section 8(3) of the Representation of the People Act. AIADMK went on to win, and Jayalalithaa was sworn in as chief minister without a seat. On 21 September, the Supreme Court ruled she could not hold the office, and she resigned.12
Ahead of the poll, Jayalalithaa assembled a front with the Tamil Maanila Congress, the Pattali Makkal Katchi, the Indian National Congress and Left parties, after it broke from its alliance with the DMK. The DMK, led by Karunanidhi, contested instead with the BJP and the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi.3
On 24 April, returning officers rejected Jayalalithaa's nomination papers in four constituencies, including Bargur and Andipatti. Barred from contesting herself, she still led AIADMK's campaign, calling it a "life-and-death battle" for her political future.4
Polling for all 234 seats was held on 10 May, with counting on 13 May, using electronic voting machines in every constituency for the first time.56
- 1Jayalalithaa disqualified after TANSI conviction — TANSI land acquisition case
- 2Madras High Court Stays Jayalalithaa's TANSI Conviction but Keeps Her Barred from 2001 Poll — TANSI land acquisition case, 2001 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election
- 3AIADMK and DMK Assemble Rival Election Fronts — 2001 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election
- 4Jayalalithaa's Nominations Rejected in Four Constituencies — 2001 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election, Tribune India, 25 April 2001 (Jayalalithaa's nomination papers rejected), 2001 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election
- 5Election Commission Holds Single-Phase Poll on 10 May, Counts on 13 May — 2001 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election, Tribune India, 11 May 2001 (Assembly poll turnout report)
- 6EVMs Deployed in Every Tamil Nadu Constituency for the First Time — Electronic voting in India, Tribune India, 11 May 2001 (Assembly poll turnout report)
What changed
The result was also a rapid collapse for the outgoing government.
The DMK, which had governed before, fell to 31 seats this time.
The biggest shift ran from the DMK to the ADMK, accounting for 108 of the 184 seats that changed hands.
Turnout, the share of registered voters who actually cast a ballot, fell to 59.1% from the previous election.
Notable numbers
The tightest race was at Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, decided by a margin of 34 votes — how far ahead the winner finished, over whoever came second.
Bargur, Tamil Nadu was the widest win of the election, by 39.9% of the vote — the same seat where Jayalalithaa's own nomination papers had been rejected weeks earlier.4
Turnout ranged from 74.2% at Vedaranyam, Tamil Nadu to 39.9% at Harbour, Tamil Nadu.
Tambaram, Tamil Nadu drew the most candidates, 16 names on the ballot.
Despite the lopsided seat count, ADMK and DMK finished almost level on votes, 31.4% against 30.9%.
- 4Jayalalithaa's Nominations Rejected in Four Constituencies — 2001 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election, Tribune India, 25 April 2001 (Jayalalithaa's nomination papers rejected), 2001 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election
The backdrop
DMK expelled MGR as party treasurer in October 1972; he founded the Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, renamed the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in 1976. DMK and AIADMK have contested every state assembly election since 1977.7
- 7MGR splits from DMK, founds AIADMK — All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam