The sixth legislative assembly election of Tamil Nadu was held on 10 June 1977.

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (; AIADMK) is an Indian regional political party with great influence in the state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry. It is a Dravidian party founded by the former chief mini ...

(AIADMK) won the election defeating its rival

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (; DMK) is a political party based in the state of Tamil Nadu where it is currently the ruling party having a comfortable majority without coalition support and the union territory of Puducherry where it is curre ...

(DMK).

M. G. Ramachandran Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran (17 January 1917 24 December 1987), also popularly known as M.G.R., was an Indian politician, actor, philanthropist, and filmmaker who served as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu from 1977 until his death in 1987 ...

(simply known as M.G.R in the state), the AIADMK founder and a leading

Tamil film Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood is a part of Indian Cinema; primarily engaged in production of motion pictures in the Tamil language. Based out of the Kodambakkam neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it is popularly called ''Kollywood' ...

actor, was sworn in as Chief Minister for the first time. The election was a four-cornered contest between the AIADMK, DMK, the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...

(INC) and the

Janata Party The Janata Party ( JP, lit. ''People's Party'') was a political party that was founded as an amalgam of Indian political parties opposed to the Emergency that was imposed between 1975 and 1977 by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of the Indian Nati ...

. Earlier in 1972, M.G.R had founded the AIADMK following his expulsion from the DMK after differences arose between him and DMK leader M. Karunanidhi. On 31 January 1976, Karunanidhi's government was dismissed by the central government of Prime Minister

Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (; Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and a central figure of the Indian National Congress. She was elected as third prime minister of India in 1966 ...

citing non-co-operation for MISA and

President's rule In India, President's rule is the suspension of state government and imposition of direct Union government rule in a state. Under Article 356 of the Constitution of India, if a state government is unable to function according to Constitutional ...

was imposed on the state. Karunanidhi had been at odds with Indira Gandhi over his opposition to

Emergency An emergency is an urgent, unexpected, and usually dangerous situation that poses an immediate risk to health, life, property, or environment and requires immediate action. Most emergencies require urgent intervention to prevent a worsening ...

and allied with

founded by

Jayaprakash Narayan Jayaprakash Narayan (; 11 October 1902 – 8 October 1979), popularly referred to as JP or ''Lok Nayak'' (Hindi for "People's leader"), was an Indian independence activist, theorist, socialist and political leader. He is remembered for le ...

. M.G.R remained as Chief Minister until he died in 1987, winning the next two elections held in 1980 and

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

. Due to this feat, M.G.R inadvertently became an example for entry of famous actors to enter politics, with a hope that they too may become Chief minister one day. then Telugu superstar N.T.R followed M.G.R's suit in 1983 and won the Andhra Pradesh general Elections to become the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. Since then, no other actor has been able to recreate M.G.R's achievements in electoral Politics.

Background

Split in Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam

DMK gradually weakened in the years after the previous election due to several splits caused by the exit of many influential leaders including M.G.R. The popularity of the party was further undermined by widespread corruption allegations which was purposely aired by M.G.R who was in close relationship with

(INC). Cracks began to appear in Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam before 1971 election.

K. A. Mathiazhagan K. A. Mathiazhagan was an Indian politician and co-founder of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). He served as the Finance Minister, Minister of Food, Revenue and Commercial Taxes in the Tamil Nadu government and Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Leg ...

was removed from office of the minister of Finance as he was considered a serious threat to Karunanidhi's leadership. Sathyavani Muthu, an influential dalit leader left the party in 1972 citing lack of concern for dalit issues within the party and formed Thazhthapattor Munnetra Kazhagam. M.G.R was expelled on 10 October 1972, in a disciplinary action for his attacks against party leadership for alleged corruption and dictatorial behaviour. He formed a new party

. AIADMK won the

Dindigul Dindigul, also spelt Thindukkal (), is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of the Dindigul district. Dindigul is located southwest from the state capital, Chennai, away from Tiruchirappalli, away ...

by-election held in 1973. V. R. Nedunchezhiyan along with some senior party leaders left Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in March 1977 to form

Makkal Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam ''Makkal'' is a 1975 Indian Malayalam film, directed by K. S. Sethumadhavan and produced by M. O. Joseph. The film stars Jayabharathi, Kaviyoor Ponnamma, Adoor Bhasi and Jose Prakash in the lead roles. The film has musical score by G. Devarajan. ...

Emergency

, which was declared in June 1975 had a mixed reception in Tamil Nadu.

's opposition movement did not receive much support in Tamil Nadu due to his association with the DMK government, which had its own trouble due to accusations of corruption.

K. Kamaraj Kumaraswami Kamaraj (15 July 1903 – 2 October 1975, hinduonnet.com. 15–28 September 2001), popularly known as Kamarajar was an Indian independence activist and politician who served as the Chief Minister of Madras State (Tamil Nadu) ...

did not come in support of Jayaprakash Narayan due to his association with DMK despite the fact he disapproved of

's actions. DMK executive council called the Emergency unnecessary and undemocratic on 27 June and party leaders condemned it in several statewide meetings. Emergency regulations and censorship were not strictly enforced in Tamil Nadu unlike in other states.

and

Communist Party of India Communist Party of India (CPI) is the oldest Marxist–Leninist communist party in India and one of the nine national parties in the country. The CPI was founded in modern-day Kanpur (formerly known as Cawnpore) on 26 December 1925. H ...

continued to support

even visited

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

to extend his support to Indira Gandhi. It was under these circumstances Karunanidhi's government was dismissed by the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...

on 31 January 1976.

Death of Kamaraj and Rajaji

Kamaraj Kumaraswami Kamaraj (15 July 1903 – 2 October 1975, hinduonnet.com. 15–28 September 2001), popularly known as Kamarajar was an Indian independence activist and politician who served as the Chief Minister of Madras State (Tamil Nadu) ...

, leader of

Indian National Congress (Organisation) The Indian National Congress (Organisation) also known as Congress (O) or Syndicate/Old Congress was a political party in India formed when the Congress party split following the expulsion of Indira Gandhi. On 12 November 1969, the Prime Minist ...

, who remarked in 1972, "Randu Katchigalum Orey Kuttaiyil Oorina Mattaigal (both parties, the DMK and the AIADMK, are like fronds dipped in the same bog or tarred by the same brush)." died in 1975. Indian National Congress (Indira) faction could not establish a foothold in Tamil Nadu until his death. After his death, Indian National Congress (Organisation) lost its identity as a party, and a large number of its members led by G. K. Moopanar merged with Indira Congress. The remaining chose not to join with Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, but rather joined the Janata Party and later remained largely uncommitted.

Swatantra Party The Swatantra Party was an Indian classical liberal political party, that existed from 1959 to 1974. It was founded by C. Rajagopalachari in reaction to what he felt was the Jawaharlal Nehru-dominated Indian National Congress's increasingly soci ...

lost much of its power after the death of

C. Rajagopalachari Chakravarti Rajagopalachari (10 December 1878 – 25 December 1972), popularly known as Rajaji or C.R., also known as Mootharignar Rajaji (Rajaji'', the Scholar Emeritus''), was an Indian statesman, writer, lawyer, and independence activis ...

in 1972 and did not contest the election. Most of its members joined the newly formed

Coalitions

This election was a four cornered contest. The AIADMK allied itself with the

Communist Party of India (Marxist) The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (abbreviated as CPI(M)/CPIM/CPM) is a Marxism–Leninism, Marxist–Leninist communist List of political parties in India, political party in India. It is the largest communist party of India in term ...

, while INC(I) and

(CPI) contested as allies. The DMK and

(JNP) contested the elections alone. The AIADMK did not field any candidate in the Usilampatti Constituency in support of the

Forward Bloc The All India Forward Bloc ( AIFB) is a left-wing nationalist political party in India. It emerged as a faction within the Indian National Congress in 1939, led by Subhas Chandra Bose. The party re-established as an independent political party ...

leader

P.K. Mookiah Thevar P. K. Mookiah Thevar (1923-1979) was an Indian politician. Early life He was born to Kattamuthu Ocha Thevar and Sevenamal on 4 April 1923 in Pappapatti village, near Usilampatti, Madurai district, India. He participated in many activities a ...

. Similarly the AIADMK also supported the

Indian Union Muslim League The Indian Union Muslim League (abbreviated as the I. U. M. L. or the League) is an Indian political party primarily based in the Indian state of Kerala. It is recognised as a State Party in Kerala by the Election Commission of India. The first ...

(IUML) candidate M. Abdul Latheef in the Vaniyambadi Constituency. In the

parliamentary elections A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

that occurred just three months prior to this elections, there had been two major alliances – the AIADMK led AIADMK-INC-CPI coalition and the DMK led DMK-NCO-JNP-CPM coalition. But in the months that followed the parliamentary election, these coalitions fell apart.

Seat allotments

AIADMK Front

†: Forward Bloc contested in 6 different constituencies, but only the Usilampatti constituency contested by P.K.M. Thevar was supported by AIADMK

Congress Front

DMK

Janata Party

Voting and results

Polling for the election was held on 10 June 1977. Turnout among the eligible voters was 61.58%.

Results by Pre-Poll Alliance

1977 tamil nadu legislative election map by parties

, - ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" , Alliance/Party !style="width:4px" , ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:right;" , Seats won ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:right;" , Change ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:right;" , Popular Vote ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:right;" , Vote % ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:right;" , Adj. %^‡ , - ! style="background-color:#009900; color:white", AIADMK+ alliance ! style="background-color: " , , 144 , +142 , 5,734,692 , style="text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;" colspan=2 , 33.5% , - ,

AIADMK The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (; AIADMK) is an Indian Regionalism (politics), regional political party with great influence in the Federated state, state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry (union territory) ...

! style="background-color: #008000" , , 130 , +130 , 5,194,876 , 30.4% , 35.4% , - ,

CPI(M) The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (abbreviated as CPI(M)/CPIM/CPM) is a Marxist–Leninist communist political party in India. It is the largest communist party of India in terms of membership and electoral seats and one of the na ...

! style="background-color: #000080" , , 12 , +12 , 477,835 , 2.8% , 33.0% , - , FBL ! style="background-color: #800000" , , 1 , – , 35,361 , 0.2% , 62.0% , - ,

IND Ind or IND may refer to: General * Independent (politician), a politician not affiliated to any political party * Independent station, used within television program listings and the television industry for a station that is not affiliated with ...

! style="background-color: olive" , , 1 , – , 26,620 , 0.2% , 42.9% , - ! style="background-color:#FF0000; color:white", DMK ! style="background-color: " , , 48 , -136 , 4,258,771 , style="text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;" colspan=2 , 24.9% , - , DMK ! style="background-color: #FF0000" , , 48 , -136 , 4,258,771 , 24.9% , 25.3% , - ! style="background-color:#00FFFF; color:black", Congress alliance ! style="background-color: #00FFFF" , , 32 , +24 , 3,491,490 , style="text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;" colspan=2 , 20.4% , - ,

INC Inc. or inc may refer to: * Incorporation (business), as a suffix indicating a corporation * ''Inc.'' (magazine), an American business magazine * Inc. No World, a Los Angeles-based band * Indian National Congress, a political party in India * I ...

! style="background-color: #00FFFF" , , 27 , +27 , 2,994,535 , 17.5% , 20.8% , - ,

CPI A consumer price index (CPI) is a price index, the price of a weighted average market basket of consumer goods and services purchased by households. Changes in measured CPI track changes in prices over time. Overview A CPI is a statistic ...

! style="background-color: #0000FF" , , 5 , -3 , 496,955 , 2.9% , 20.4% , - ! style="background-color:yellow; color:black", Janata ! style="background-color:yellow" , , 10 , +10 , 2,851,884 , style="text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;" colspan=2 , 16.7% , - , JNP ! style="background-color: #FFFF00" , , 10 , +10 , 2,851,884 , 16.7% , 16.8% , - ! style="background-color:gray; color:white", Others ! style="background-color:gray" , , 1 , -7 , 751,712 , style="text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;" colspan=2 , 4.4% , - ,

! style="background-color: #666666" , , 1 , -7 , 751,712 , 4.4% , – , - , style="text-align:center;" , Total ! style="background-color: " , , 234 , – , 17,108,146 , 100% , style="text-align:center;" , – , - ‡: Vote % reflects the percentage of votes the party received compared to the entire electorate that voted in this election. Adjusted (Adj.) Vote %, reflects the % of votes the party received per constituency that they contested.
Sources: Election Commission of India

By constituency

Key:

References

External links

Election Commission of India
{{Tamil Nadu assembly elections, state=expanded State Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu 1970s in Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...