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Elections in Tamil Nadu are conducted every five years to elect the State assembly and its share of members to the Lok Sabha. There are 234 assembly constituencies and 39 Lok Sabha constituencies. The state has conducted 15 assembly elections and 16 Lok Sabha elections since independence.
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Assembly constituencies
Tamil Nadu has 234 assembly constituencies. The Chief Minister of the state is elected by legislators of the political party or coalition commanding an assembly majority, and serves a five-year term with a provision of re-election. The Governor is the head of state, but his or her role is largely ceremonial.
Lok Sabha constituencies
The Lok Sabha is the directly elected lower house of the Parliament of India. As of 2014 there have been sixteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India. Tamil Nadu has 39 Lok Sabha constituencies.
Rajya Sabha
The Rajya Sabha is the indirectly elected upper house of the Parliament of India. Rajya Sabha members are elected by state legislators of Tamil Nadu who elect a total of 18 members. Election to Rajya Sabha held in 1996, 2013.
Assembly elections
The last assembly election took place in May 2016, which resulted in AIADMK and its allies winning.
Madras Presidency
The state of Tamil Nadu had its beginnings in the Madras Presidency which was created in 1685. Initially, the presidency was administered by a president who was advised by an executive council in the administration of the province. A legislative council came into being in 1861 by the Indian Councils Act 1861. The members of the council were nominated. In November 1920, by the Montagu-Chelmsford reforms, the existing structure of the legislative council was modified by the addition of elected members and the first elections were held in December 1920. From 1920 till India's independence in 1947, with the exception of the Second World War period, regular elections were held on a three-year basis. Initially, the electorate was limited to zamindars, district board chairmans and influential people. In 1935, the electorate was enlarged by the Government of India Act 1935. In 1952, the electorate was finally large enough to cover all legal citizens of the province over the age of 18.
The Justice Party won a majority in the assembly in the 1920, 1923 and 1930 elections. It formed a minority government in the 1934 elections and lost in the 1926, 1937 and 1946 elections. The assembly was dissolved in 1939 when the Congress ministry of C. Rajagopalachari resigned and no elections were held in 1940 and 1943. The Swaraj Party won majorities in the 1926 and the 1934 elections but did not form the government. It did not contest the 1920 elections and contested and won as a part of the Indian National Congress in 1937.
Madras State Legislative Assembly election
The Madras state was created in 1950 when India became a republic. In 1968, the name of Madras state was changed to Tamil Nadu.
Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election
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†: Indicates a coalition government, since no single party could gain a majority of seats.
Lok Sabha elections
15 Lok Sabha elections have been contested in India since independence starting 1951. The elections held in Tamil Nadu are listed below.