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Elections in the Indian state ofTamil Nadu are conducted every five years to electmembers to theTamil Nadu Legislative Assembly andmembers of parliament to theLok Sabha. There are234 assembly constituencies and39 Lok Sabha constituencies. The state has conducted 16 assembly elections and 18 Lok Sabha elections since independence.
Thegovernor of Tamil Nadu is the ceremonial head of thestate. However, it is thechief minister of Tamil Nadu who is elected as the leader of the party or political alliance having a majority in theTamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. The chief minister will be the leader of the executive branch of thegovernment of Tamil Nadu. The chief minister is the chief adviser to the governor of Tamil Nadu and the head of thestate council of ministers.
TheElection Commission of India (ECI) is responsible for monitoring and administering the elections for theRajya Sabha (Council of States) andLok Sabha (House of the People) of theParliament and theTamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. The ECI appoints the chief electoral officer ofTamil Nadu, anI.A.S. officer who oversees state-level election matters.
TheTamil Nadu Election Commission is the state body ofTamil Nadu that is enacted under the provisions of the constitution and is responsible for monitoring and administering the elections for local government in Tamil Nadu. This body is responsible for ensuring elections are free and fair, without any bias.
Elections ensure the conduct of members pre-elections, during elections, and post-elections is as per statutory legislation.
Theelection commission handles all election-related disputes. If the laws enacted to deal with the given situation in conducting elections are silent or do not make adequate provisions, theMadras High Court has ruled that the Election Commission has residual powers to act appropriately under the constitution.
Elections in Tamil Nadu include elections for:
Members of parliament in theRajya Sabha (Council of States) fromTamil Nadu are not directly elected by being voted upon by all adult citizens of the state but by themembers of theTamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. Candidates who win the Rajya Sabha elections are called "Members of Parliament" and hold their seats for six years. The house meets in the Rajya Sabha Chamber of theSansad Bhavan inNew Delhi on matters relating to the creation of new laws or removing or improving the existing laws that affect all citizens of India. Elections take place to elect 18 members from Tamil Nadu.[1]
Members of parliament in theLok Sabha (House of the People) fromTamil Nadu are directly elected by being voted upon by all adult citizens of the state from a set of candidates who stand in their respective constituencies. Every adult citizen of India can vote only in their constituency. Candidates who win the Lok Sabha elections are called "Members of Parliament" and hold their seats for five years or until the body is dissolved by thepresident of India on the advice of thecouncil of ministers. The house meets in the Lok Sabha Chamber of theSansad Bhavan inNew Delhi on matters relating to the creation of new laws or removing or improving the existing laws that affect all citizens of India. Elections take place once every five years to elect 39 members from Tamil Nadu.[2]
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Members of theTamil Nadu Legislative Assembly are directly elected by being voted upon by all adult citizens of thestate from a set of candidates who stand in their respective constituencies. Every adult citizen of India can vote only in their constituency. Candidates who win the legislative assembly elections are called "Members of the Legislative Assembly" and hold their seats for five years or until the body is dissolved by thegovernor of Tamil Nadu on the advice of thecouncil of ministers. The house meets in the Assembly Chamber of theChief Secretariat inChennai on matters relating to the creation of new laws or removing or improving the existing laws that affect all citizens of Tamil Nadu. Elections take place once every five years to elect 234 members to the legislative assembly. The leader of the majority party or alliance takes oath aschief minister of Tamil Nadu.[3]
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When an elected member of theRajya Sabha,Lok Sabha, orTamil Nadu Legislative Assembly left their office vacant before their term ended, a bye-election was conducted to find a suitable replacement to fill the vacant position.
Common reasons for bye-elections:
There are also other reasons that occur when the incumbent is disqualified for being ineligible to continue in office (criminal conviction, failure to maintain a minimum level of attendance in the office due to election irregularities found later, or when a candidate wins more than one seat and has to vacate one).[4]
