1971 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election

1971 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election

← 1967 1–7 March 1971 1977 →
All 234 seats in the Legislature of Tamil Nadu 118 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	72.10%
First party Second party   Leader M. Karunanidhi K. Kamaraj Party DMK INC(O) Leader's seat Saidapet Did Not Contest[a] Seats won 205 21 Seat change 61[1] 1[1] Popular vote 8,506,078 6,016,530 Percentage 53.99% 38.18% Swing 10.32% 32.88%
CM before election M. Karunanidhi DMK Elected CM M. Karunanidhi DMK

The fifth legislative assembly election of Tamil Nadu was held in March 1971, resulting in a re-election victory for the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), which had first won under the leadership of C. N. Annadurai in 1967. The main opposition was the Indian National Congress (Organisation) led by K. Kamaraj, while the Indian National Congress (Indira) faction aligned with the DMK. This election marked the first victory for M. Karunanidhi as DMK leader, who assumed office as Chief Minister after Annadurai’s death. Karunanidhi, supported by M. G. Ramachandran (MGR) in a leadership dispute with V. R. Nedunchezhiyan, secured his position with MGR and Vai. Balasundaram’s instrumental backing.

This election also set a precedent in national politics, as the Indian National Congress (Indira)—led by Indira Gandhi—formed a coalition with the DMK. This agreement allowed the DMK to take all seats in the state legislature, while conceding half of Tamil Nadu's seats in the Lok Sabha to the Congress.

With a 48.58% vote share and 184 seats, DMK achieved the largest single-party vote and seat count in Tamil Nadu's electoral history. This remains the only instance where a DMK-led government in Tamil Nadu retained power, as all subsequent DMK administrations have been succeeded by AIADMK-led coalitions.

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