The 1971 Indian general election polls in Tamil Nadu were held for 39 seats in the state. After winning in 1967, DMK supported the Congress party under Indira Gandhi, and the 25 DMK MPs, ensured her to stay in power as a minority government, from 1969 to 1971. This state was crucial for Indira Gandhi to hold, in order for her to stay in power. The result was a victory for Indian National Congress (Indira) and its ally Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam winning 38 seats (with 5 seats going to the Left Front), while Opposition Congress and Swatantra Party could only win 1 seat. DMK won every seat it contested except the seat contested by K. Kamarajar in Nagercoil.

Seat Allotment Progressive Front No. Party Election Symbol Leader Seats1. M. Karunanidhi 242.Indian National Congress (R) Indira Gandhi93. M. Kalyanasundaram44. P. K. Mookiah Thevar15. Muhammed Ismail1

Democratic Front No. Party Election Symbol Leader Seats1. Indian National Congress (Organization) K. Kamaraj 292. C. Rajagopalachari93. George Fernandes 1 List of Candidates ConstituencyDMK+INC(O)+ # Name Party Candidate Party Candidate 1 Madras North Nanjil K. Manoharan S. G. Vinayagamoorthy 2 Madras South Murasoli Maran Narasimhan 3 Sriperumbudur (SC) T. S. Latchumanan P. Kakkan 4 Chingleput C. Chittibabu P. M. Muthukumarappa 5 Tiruttani O. V. Alagesan P. Ramachandran 6 Vellore (SC) R. P. Ulaganambi T. Manavalan 7 Tiruppattur C. K. Chinnaraji Gounder N. Parthasarathy 8 Wandiwash G. Viswanathan A. Krishnaswamy 9 Tindivanam M. R. Lakshminarayanan M. P. Radhakrishnan 10 Cuddalore S. Radhakrishnan R. Muthukumaran 11 Chidambaram (SC) V. Mayavan L. Elayaperumal 12 Kallakurichi M. Devekan K. Veerasamy 13 Krishnagiri T. Thirthagiri Gounder T. M. Thirupathy 14 Salem E. R. Krishnan M. P. Subramanyam 15 Mettur G. Bhuvarahan K. Ramamurthy 16 Tiruchengode M. Muthusami T. M. Kaliyannan 17 Nilgiris J. Matha Gowder Akkamma Devi 18 Coimbatore K. Balathandayutham Ramaswamy 19 Pollachi Narayanan K. R. Nallasivam 20 Dharapuram (SC) C. T. Dhandapani K. Paramalai 21 Gobichettipalayam P. A. Saminathan E. V. K. Sampath 22 Periakulam S. M. Mohammed Sheriff Ajmalkhan 23 Dindigul M. Rajangam K. Chemachamy 24 Madurai R. V. Swaminathan S. Chinna Karuppa Thevar 25 Karur Gopal V. Ramanathan 26 Tiruchirappalli M. Kalyanasundaram S. P. Thangavelu 27 Perambalur (SC) A. Durairasu M. Ayyakunnu 28 Pudukkottai K. Veeriah R. Vijaya Reghunatha 29 Kumbakonam Era Sezhiyan C. Ramaswamy 30 Mayuram (SC) K. Subravelu K. Rajangam 31 Nagapattinam M. Kathamuthu V. Sabasivam 32 Thanjavur S. D. Somasundaram R. Krishnasamy Gopalar 33 Sivaganga Tha. Kiruttinan Kannappa Valliappan 34 Ramanathapuram P. K. Mookiah Thevar S. Balakrishnan 35 Sivakasi V. Jeyalakshmi R. Gopalakrishnan 36 Tirunelveli S. A. Muruganantham S. Palaniswaminathan 37 Tenkasi (SC) A. M. Cnellachami R. S. Arumugam 38 Tiruchendur M. S. Sivasami M. Mathias 39 Nagercoil M. C. Balan K. Kamaraj

Voting and results AlliancePartyPopular VotePercentageSwingSeats wonSeat ChangeProgressive FrontDravida Munnetra Kazhagam5,622,75835.25%0.53%232Indian National Congress (Requistionist)1,995,56712.51%29.18%96Communist Party of India866,3995.43%3.74%44All India Forward Bloc208,4311.31%1Independents175,9401.10%0.07%1Total8,869,09555.60%24.73%389Democratic FrontIndian National Congress (Organisation)4,853,53430.43%new party1new partySwatantra Party1,479,6939.28%0.12%06Samyukta Socialist Party141,6050.89%new party0new partyTotal6,474,83240.60%31.44%15Communist Party of India (Marxist)260,8331.64%5.21%04Independents344,4522.16%1.00%0Total15,949,212100.00%39Valid Votes15,949,21296.28%Invalid Votes616,4373.72%Total Votes16,565,649100.00%Registered Voters/Turnout23,064,98371.82%4.74%

List of Elected MPs Constituency Winner Runner Up Margin % # Name Candidate Party Votes % Candidate Party Votes %1 Madras NorthK. ManoharanDMK2,45,40155.03S. G. VinayagamoorthyINC(O)1,93,80743.4651,59411.572 Madras SouthMurasoli MaranDMK2,53,62652.09Nara SimhanSWA2,33,28547.9120,3414.183 Sriperumbudur (SC)T. S. LatchumananDMK3,00,66359.98P. KakkanINC(O)2,00,61740.021,00,04619.964 ChingleputC. ChittibabuDMK2,51,68760.02P. M. MuthukumarappaINC(O)1,32,93131.701,18,75628.325 TiruttaniO. V. Alagesa MudaliarINC2,41,41860.55P. RamachandranINC(O)1,57,31339.4584,10521.106 Vellore (SC)R. P. UlaganambiDMK2,21,51257.13T. ManavalanINC(O)1,36,19135.1285,32122.017 TiruppatturC. K. Chinnaraji GounderDMK2,07,56257.65N. ParthasarathySWA1,52,49942.3555,06315.308 WandiwashG. ViswanathanDMK2,30,00357.49A. KrishnaswamyINC(O)1,42,04835.5187,95521.989 TindivanamM. R. LakshminarayananINC2,12,30955.92M. P. RadhakrishnanSWA1,50,83439.7361,47516.1910 CuddaloreS. RadhakrishnanINC2,29,93454.31R. MuthukumaranINC(O)1,93,44745.6936,4878.6211 Chidambaram (SC)V. MayavanDMK2,03,05951.09L. ElayaperumalINC(O)1,80,66145.4622,3985.6312 KallakurichiM. DevekanDMK2,07,72152.79K. VeerasamyINC(O)1,85,74547.2121,9765.5813 KrishnagiriT. Thirthagiri GounderINC1,86,11455.18T. M. ThirupathySWA1,51,19444.8234,92010.3614 SalemE. R. KrishnanDMK2,30,73655.87M. P. SubramanyamINC(O)1,75,94042.6054,79613.2715MetturG. BhuvarahanINC2,01,74459.80K. RamamurthyINC(O)1,35,60440.2066,14019.6016 TiruchengodeM. MuthusamiDMK2,38,74655.83T. M. KaliyannanINC(O)1,78,69941.7960,04714.0417 NilgirisJ. Matha GowderDMK2,15,65458.25Akkamma DeviINC(O)1,54,56041.7561,09416.5018 CoimbatoreK. BalathandayuthamCPI2,14,82453.05RamaswamyINC(O)1,37,77134.0277,05319.0319 PollachiNarayananDMK2,67,81164.66K. R. NallasivamSSP1,41,60534.191,26,20630.4720 Dharapuram (SC)C. T. DhandapaniDMK2,60,11364.38K. ParamalaiINC(O)1,43,92735.621,16,18628.7621 GobichettipalayamP. A. SaminathanDMK2,19,66257.98E. V. K. SampathINC(O)1,59,17042.0260,49215.9622 PeriakulamS. M. Mohammed SheriffIND1,75,94045.29AjmalkhanSWA1,34,01534.5041,92510.7923 DindigulM. RajangamDMK2,48,63859.88K. ChemachamySWA1,51,00336.3697,63523.5224 MaduraiR. V. SwaminathanINC2,27,06051.04S. Chinna Karuppa ThevarINC(O)1,54,70134.7772,35916.2725 KarurGopalINC2,38,31559.09V. RamanathanINC(O)1,65,02240.9173,29318.1826 TiruchirappalliM. KalyanasundaramCPI2,17,67749.34S. P. ThangaveluINC(O)1,97,12744.6920,5504.6527 Perambalur (SC)A. DurairasuDMK2,58,72456.75M. AyyakunnuINC(O)1,97,15543.2561,56913.5028 PudukkottaiK. VeeriahDMK2,51,86155.31R. Vijaya ReghunathaINC(O)2,03,46644.6948,39510.6229 KumbakonamEra SezhiyanDMK2,42,54754.34C. R. RamasamyINC(O)2,03,79445.6638,7538.6830 Mayuram (SC)K. SubraveluDMK2,07,30453.84K. RajangamINC(O)1,40,93136.6066,37317.2431 NagapattinamM. KathamuthuCPI2,19,68454.95V. SabasivamINC(O)1,31,95733.0087,72721.9532 ThanjavurS. D. SomasundaramDMK2,68,98057.31R. Krishnasamy GopalarINC(O)1,68,97236.001,00,00821.3133 SivagangaTha KiruttinanDMK2,73,19461.21Kannappa ValliappanINC(O)1,73,10638.791,00,08822.4234 RamanathapuramP. K. Mookkiah ThevarFBL2,08,43158.16S. BalakrishnanINC(O)1,39,27638.8769,15519.2935 SivakasiV. JeyalakshmiINC2,35,49159.67R. GopalakrishnanSWA1,49,82937.9685,66221.7136 TirunelveliS. A. MurugananthamCPI2,14,21456.26S. PalaniswaminathanSWA1,54,27740.5259,93715.7437 Tenkasi (SC)A. M. CnellachamiINC2,23,18255.48R. S. ArumugamINC(O)1,54,27238.3568,91017.1338 TiruchendurM. S. SivasamyDMK2,02,78349.29M. MathiasSWA2,02,75749.29260.0039 NagercoilK. Kamaraj NadarINC(O)2,15,32458.37M. C. BalanDMK1,14,77131.111,00,55327.26

Post-election Union Council of Ministers from Tamil Nadu

See also Elections in Tamil Nadu

Notes

References

Bibliography Volume I, 1971 Indian general election, 5th Lok Sabha DMK on the Defensive Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 6, No. 3/5, Annual Number (Jan., 1971), pp. 189–190 Published by: Economic and Political Weekly External links Website of Election Commission of India CNN-IBN Lok Sabha Election History