Bodinayakanur election results 2026: DMK’s O Panneerselvam wins, Prakash S finishes second

For the 2026 Assembly elections, candidates included O. Panneerselvam (DMK), V. T. Narayanaswamy (AIADMK), Kalai Arasu (NTK), and Selvamurugan P. (TVK). In the results, O. Panneerselvam emerged victorious, while Prakash S secured second place.

Bodinayakanur in Theni district is a high-profile constituency and the long-time home turf of former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam. Historically, the AIADMK has dominated this seat with seven victories since 1977, while the DMK has secured two.

In a significant political shift, O. Panneerselvam, who won this seat for the AIADMK in 2011, 2016, and 2021, joined the DMK in early 2026 and is contesting this election as the DMK candidate. In the 2021 Assembly elections, he won with 1,00,050 votes, defeating DMK’s Thanga Tamil Selvan by a margin of 11,021 votes.

The 2026 campaign is centered around issues such as welfare schemes, industrial growth, and the debate between Dravidian political identity and national integration. While the DMK alliance highlights its record on social justice, the opposition AIADMK—now led by Edappadi K. Palaniswami—has fielded V. T. Narayanaswamy to challenge their former leader in his own bastion. The entry of Selvamurugan P. from Vijay's TVK adds further intrigue to this high-stakes contest.