CHENNAI: The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has once again fallen below the 30% vote-share mark in the Assembly election, a trend last witnessed during the political dominance of MG Ramachandran (MGR) between 1977 and 1984.
In the 2026 Assembly election, the DMK secured 1.19 crore votes, translating to a 24.19% vote share in the four-cornered contest.
When the DMK first captured power in 1967 under CN Annadurai, the party won 137 seats with a vote share of 40.69%. In 1971, under M. Karunanidhi, the party improved further, securing 48.58% votes.
However, the political landscape changed dramatically after MGR floated the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). In the 1977 election, the DMK contested 230 seats but secured only 24.89% vote share. The decline continued through the MGR era.
In the 1980 and 1984 elections, the DMK secured around 22.10% and 29.34% vote share, respectively, despite polling over 41 lakh and 63 lakh votes.
After political instability within the AIADMK, the DMK gradually recovered its vote share. In 1989, it won 150 seats with 33.18% vote share, and only 22.4 per cent in 1991 when AIADMK captured power under the leadership of Jayalalithaa, but later rose to 42.07% in 1996.
The party's vote share fluctuated in subsequent elections due to anti-incumbency and shifting alliances. It recorded 30.92% in 2001, dropped in later elections, and then climbed to 31.7% in 2016 and 37.70% in 2021.
However, the emergence of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) and the four-cornered contest in 2026 significantly altered the electoral equation, reducing the DMK's vote share to levels last seen during the peak of the MGR era.