Tamil Nadu Assembly 2026: Women MLAs Rise to 23, Highest Representation in Two Decades
The 17th Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly has recorded an increase in women legislators, with 23 women MLAs elected to the 234-member House. This marks a significant rise from the 12 women members in the outgoing Assembly and becomes the third-highest number of women representatives in Tamil Nadu’s legislative history.
Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), which emerged as the single largest party with 108 seats, has elected 13 women MLAs. All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) has six women legislators among its 47 members.
Despite fielding 19 women candidates, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) failed to elect any woman MLA, even after securing 59 seats and becoming the second-largest party in the Assembly.
Other parties including Indian National Congress, Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM), and Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) have one woman MLA each.
Women legislators currently account for less than 10% of the total Assembly strength. According to Election Commission of India data, Tamil Nadu has around 5.73 crore voters, of which 2.93 crore are women, making up 51% of the electorate. Out of the 4.87 crore votes cast in the election, nearly 2.52 crore votes were cast by women voters.
Although political parties focused heavily on women-centric welfare promises during the election campaign, women’s representation in candidate selection remained low. Out of 4,023 candidates who contested the election, only 443 were women candidates.
The DMK-led alliance fielded 26 women candidates, AIADMK nominated 29 women, while TVK fielded 23 women candidates. Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) fielded the highest number of women candidates at 117. However, only 23 women candidates managed to secure victory.
In the 2016 Tamil Nadu Assembly election, the House had 21 women MLAs, including former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa. The highest women representation in Tamil Nadu Assembly history was recorded in 1991, when 32 women legislators were elected, accounting for nearly 13% of the Assembly.
Political observers and party leaders say that despite public support for 33% reservation for women in Parliament and State Assemblies, actual representation remains limited due to inadequate opportunities and electoral considerations.
