Updated: April 29, 2026 6:39:37 PM IST
Tamil Nadu Election Exit Poll Live: Exit poll results are likely to be out after 6:30 pm on Wednesday, April 29.
Tamil Nadu Election Exit Poll Live: Voting for 234 assembly constituencies was held on April 23 amid tight security. The state witnessed a massive voter turnout of 84.29%, indicating high voter participation in what is being seen as a major political contest. To form the government, any party or alliance will have to cross half the mark of 118 seats.
However, the political suspense is not over yet. Exit poll results are likely to be revealed after 6:30 pm on Wednesday, April 29.
Counting day on 4th May
Counting of votes in four states – West Bengal, Assam, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as Puducherry – is scheduled to take place on May 4. Only then will the actual numbers decide the winners.
Looking ahead to 2021: What the exit polls said
The last assembly elections in 2021 came at a crucial moment for Tamil Nadu. This was the first election after the death of two prominent political figures – AIADMK’s J Jayalalithaa and DMK’s M Karunanidhi.
At that time, most exit polls pointed towards an easy victory for the DMK-led alliance. Predictions showed that MK Stalin’s camp would secure around 160 seats, while the AIADMK and its allies were expected to win around 66 seats. TTV Dhinakaran’s AMMK was projected to get a marginal turnout.
When the results were announced on May 2, the broad direction of those predictions proved true. The DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance won 159 seats, while the DMK itself claimed 133 seats for a clear majority and its first decisive mandate in 25 years. NDA got 75 seats, which includes 66 seats for AIADMK. Notably, 11 ministers of the outgoing Palaniswami cabinet lost their seats.
Major candidates in the fray
A total of 4,023 candidates are in the fray across the state, including several high-profile leaders. Chief Minister MK Stalin is contesting from Kolathur in Chennai for the second consecutive term. His son and deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin is in the race from Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni.
On the other hand, AIADMK chief and opposition leader Palaniswami of Edappadi is contesting from Edappadi in Salem district. Vijay, making his electoral debut, is contesting from two constituencies – Chennai’s Perambur and Tiruchirappalli East.
Take a look at the 2021 results
The DMK-led alliance achieved a decisive victory in the 2021 assembly elections, securing 159 out of 234 seats. In comparison, the AIADMK-led alliance won 75 seats, which was a clear mandate for the DMK at that time.
Congress-DMK vs BJP-AIADMK
During the campaign, the DMK – contesting 164 seats and leaving 70 seats for its allies including the Congress – framed the election as a contest between Tamil Nadu and the “Delhi-NDA”, taking aim at the BJP-led Centre.
The AIADMK, contesting 169 seats and allocating 65 seats to its allies, including 27 seats for the BJP, countered this narrative by targeting the DMK on issues such as alleged dynasty politics, law and order concerns, rising debt and drug proliferation and claims of safety of women and children.
Vijay-led TVK, entering electoral politics for the first time, has fielded candidates in all 234 constituencies, indicating an ambitious statewide effort in its debut.
…read more
However, the political suspense is not over yet. Exit poll results are likely to be revealed after 6:30 pm on Wednesday, April 29.
Counting day on 4th May
Counting of votes in four states – West Bengal, Assam, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as Puducherry – is scheduled to take place on May 4. Only then will the actual numbers decide the winners.
Looking ahead to 2021: What the exit polls said
The last assembly elections in 2021 came at a crucial moment for Tamil Nadu. This was the first election after the death of two prominent political figures – AIADMK’s J Jayalalithaa and DMK’s M Karunanidhi.
At that time, most exit polls pointed towards an easy victory for the DMK-led alliance. Predictions showed that MK Stalin’s camp would secure around 160 seats, while the AIADMK and its allies were expected to win around 66 seats. TTV Dhinakaran’s AMMK was projected to get a marginal turnout.
When the results were announced on May 2, the broad direction of those predictions proved true. The DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance won 159 seats, while the DMK itself claimed 133 seats for a clear majority and its first decisive mandate in 25 years. NDA got 75 seats, which includes 66 seats for AIADMK. Notably, 11 ministers of the outgoing Palaniswami cabinet lost their seats.
Major candidates in the fray
A total of 4,023 candidates are in the fray across the state, including several high-profile leaders. Chief Minister MK Stalin is contesting from Kolathur in Chennai for the second consecutive term. His son and deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin is in the race from Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni.
On the other hand, AIADMK chief and opposition leader Palaniswami of Edappadi is contesting from Edappadi in Salem district. Vijay, making his electoral debut, is contesting from two constituencies – Chennai’s Perambur and Tiruchirappalli East.
Take a look at the 2021 results
The DMK-led alliance achieved a decisive victory in the 2021 assembly elections, securing 159 out of 234 seats. In comparison, the AIADMK-led alliance won 75 seats, which was a clear mandate for the DMK at that time.
Congress-DMK vs BJP-AIADMK
During the campaign, the DMK – contesting 164 seats and leaving 70 seats for its allies including the Congress – framed the election as a contest between Tamil Nadu and the “Delhi-NDA”, taking aim at the BJP-led Centre.
The AIADMK, contesting 169 seats and allocating 65 seats to its allies, including 27 seats for the BJP, countered this narrative by targeting the DMK on issues such as alleged dynasty politics, law and order concerns, rising debt and drug proliferation and claims of safety of women and children.
Vijay-led TVK, entering electoral politics for the first time, has fielded candidates in all 234 constituencies, indicating an ambitious statewide effort in its debut.
Follow all updates here:
April 29, 2026 6:39:36 pm First
Tamil Nadu exit poll live: People’s pulse predicts strong performance for DMK-led alliance
Tamil Nadu Exit Poll Live: People’s Pulse exit poll for Tamil Nadu Elections 2026 points to a strong performance for the DMK-led alliance.
Seat Projection (People’s Pulse)
DMK-Congress+: 125-145
NDA: 65-80
TVK: 18-24
Others: 2-6
April 29, 2026 6:32:26 pm First
Tamil Nadu Exit Poll Live: First post-poll predictions for Tamil Nadu revealed
Tamil Nadu Exit Poll Live: P Matrice predicts easy victory for DMK-INC+ alliance in Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections 2026. Tamil Nadu exit poll results by P Matriage are given below:
DMK-Congress+ 122-132
NDA 87-100
TVK 10-12
Other 0-6
April 29, 2026 6:30:09 pm First
Tamil Nadu Exit Poll Live: Battle of Congress-DMK vs BJP-AIADMK
Tamil Nadu Exit Poll Live: During the campaign, the DMK – contesting 164 seats and leaving 70 seats for its allies including the Congress – took aim at the BJP-led Centre, framing the election as a contest between Tamil Nadu and the “Delhi-NDA”.
The AIADMK, contesting 169 seats and allocating 65 seats to its allies, including 27 seats for the BJP, countered this narrative by targeting the DMK on issues such as alleged dynasty politics, law and order concerns, rising debt and drug proliferation and claims of safety of women and children.
Vijay-led TVK, entering electoral politics for the first time, has fielded candidates in all 234 constituencies, indicating an ambitious statewide effort in its debut.
April 29, 2026 6:28:56 pm First
Tamil Nadu Exit Poll Live: Estimates expected soon
Tamil Nadu Exit Poll Live: Pollsters can release projections for Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections 2026 from 6:30 pm onwards.
April 29, 2026 6:21:06 pm First
Tamil Nadu Exit Poll Live: When will Tamil Nadu election results be out?
Tamil Nadu Exit Poll Live: Tamil Nadu election results will be out on May 4.
April 29, 2026 6:16:55 pm First
Tamil Nadu Election Exit Poll Live: How much was the voting in Tamil Nadu?
Tamil Nadu Election Exit Poll Live: Voting for 234 assembly constituencies took place on April 23 amid tight security. The state witnessed a massive voter turnout of 84.29%, indicating high voter participation in what is being seen as a major political contest.
April 29, 2026 6:15:25 pm First
Tamil Nadu Election Exit Poll Live: What did the exit polls predict for 2021 elections?
Tamil Nadu Election Exit Poll Live: Most of the exit poll predictions came true for Tamil Nadu in 2021 as the MK Stalin-led party made a strong comeback by winning almost two-thirds of the seats, enabling it to form the government without the support of allies.
Pollsters have predicted a massive victory for the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu in the 2021 assembly elections.
India Today-Axis My India has projected DMK to get 175-195 seats in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, while AIADMK has been given 38-54 seats.
Today’s Chanakya has predicted DMK to get 175 seats, while AIADMK has predicted 57 seats. Meanwhile, Republic-CNX exit poll results have predicted DMK to get 160-170 seats and AIADMK to get 58-68 seats.
ABP CVoter has given 160-172 seats to Stalin’s party and 58-70 seats to AIADMK.
However, in 2016, most pollsters were wrong after predicting a DMK victory. The election results proved to be a huge mandate for J Jayalalithaa as she retained the state, a first for a party since 1984.
April 29, 2026 3:21:27 pm First
Tamil Nadu Election Exit Poll Live: What happened in Tamil Nadu elections 2021?
Tamil Nadu Election Exit Poll Live: In 2021, Stalin-led DMK registered a massive victory against the ruling AIADMK with 72.78 per cent voting. While DMK won 133 seats, its ally Congress contested 25 seats and won 18 seats.
The ruling AIADMK was reduced to 66 seats. However, in the latest elections, voter turnout increased by more than 12 per cent partly due to Special Intensive Verification (SIR), during which 74 lakh dead, duplicate and ineligible voters were removed.
There is also the TVK factor, which can make the bipolar contest triangular. It remains to be seen whether actor Vijay, who has been a crowd puller ever since he launched his party, will be able to make a dent in the two-way DMK vs AIADMK contest.
