Madurai Central assembly polls 2026: TVK’s Madhar Badhurudeen wins by over 19,000 votes

Madhar Badhurudeen of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) won the Madurai Central seat in the 2026 Assembly elections, defeating DMK’s Palanivel Thiaga Rajan and AIADMK’s Sundar C.In the 2021 Assembly elections, DMK’s Palanivel Thiaga Rajan won with 73,205 votes, defeating AIADMK’s Jothi Muthuramalingam N by a margin of 34,176 votes. In the 2016 Assembly elections, DMK’s Palanivel Thiaga Rajan secured 64,662 votes, defeating AIADMK’s M Jeyabal by 5,762 votes. In the 2011 Assembly elections, DMDK’s R Sundarrajan, contesting as part of the AIADMK alliance, won with 76,063 votes, defeating DMK’s S Syed Ghouse Basha. Since 1977, the DMK has won the Madurai Central seat four times, while the TMC has won it twice. The 234-seat Assembly election in Tamil Nadu will see the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), led by Chief Minister MK Stalin, take on the opposition All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and a resurgent BJP-led alliance. The campaign is centred around issues such as welfare schemes, law and order, and the broader debate between Dravidian political identity and national integration narratives. While the DMK government is highlighting its record on industrial growth and social justice, the opposition has targeted it over allegations of corruption and concerns about power shortages.