Udhagamandalam, famously known as the Queen of Hill Stations in Tamil Nadu, remained out of reach for the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) in its debut electoral contest. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) secured two of the three assembly seats in the Nilgiris district, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claimed the remaining one.
Udhagamandalam: A Narrow Win for BJP
In the Udhagamandalam constituency, BJP candidate N Bhojarajan emerged victorious by a slender margin of 976 votes over TVK’s R Ibrahim. Congress candidate B Ramachandran finished third in the closely fought contest. The battle remained intense among the BJP, Congress, and TVK, with frequent shifts in the lead during the counting process. This victory marked a significant turnaround for the BJP, as in the 2021 election, Congress candidate R Ganesh had won the seat by defeating Bhojarajan by 5,348 votes. Of the 27 constituencies contested by the BJP in Tamil Nadu, this was the only seat where the party tasted success.
DMK Retains Coonoor
The DMK successfully retained the Coonoor constituency, with debutant candidate M Raju defeating AIADMK’s A Ramu by a margin of 8,099 votes. Raju polled 50,470 votes, while Ramu secured 42,371 votes. In the 2021 election, DMK’s K Ramachandran had won this seat with 61,820 votes, defeating AIADMK’s Vinoth, who polled 57,715 votes.
DMK Captures Gudalur from AIADMK
In the Gudalur (SC) constituency, DMK’s M Dhravidamani registered a convincing victory, polling 65,590 votes against AIADMK candidate Pon Jayaseelan, who secured only 42,757 votes. This result reversed the outcome of the 2021 election, when Jayaseelan had won the seat by defeating DMK’s S Kasilingam by a narrow margin of 1,945 votes.
The 2026 election results in the Nilgiris highlight the competitive dynamics among the major parties, with the DMK maintaining its stronghold in two seats while the BJP managed to wrest one from the Congress. The TVK, despite a vigorous campaign, failed to open its account in this hill district.
