Coimbatore North faces a three-way contest in the 2026 Tamil Nadu assembly polls, with BJP, DMK and TVK challenging traditional AIADMK influence. The race is shaped by urban issues, welfare schemes, infrastructure needs, and shifting voter loyalties as alliances redraw the political map.
Chennai
-Prakash KL
The counting of votes are underway in Tamil Nadu assembly elections and Vanithai Srinivasan is leading in the Coimbatore North constituency.
BJP leader Vanathi Srinivasan has shifted from Coimbatore South to challenge DMK’s Senthamil Selvan and TVK’s V Sampathkumar in this high-stakes urban seat.
Vote counting in Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore North assembly seat shows BJP leader Vanathi Srinivasan leading the contest against DMK’s Senthamil Selvan and TVK’s V Sampathkumar, reflecting a weakening AIADMK hold and increased BJP support in recent polls.
Historically, Coimbatore North leaned towards the AIADMK, but voting patterns show a tight three-way space emerging.
Coimbatore North Tamil Nadu assembly polls: alliances and ideological contest
The main fight in Coimbatore North Tamil Nadu assembly polls is seen between two large fronts. On one side stands the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance, which includes the Indian National Congress, Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi. Opposing it is the National Democratic Alliance, led by the AIADMK with the Bharatiya Janata Party and Pattali Makkal Katchi as allies.
The DMK-led camp promotes state-level welfare schemes, giving special attention to benefits such as the women’s rights grant. The BJP-NDA side stresses central infrastructure support, better urban services and a platform that combines Tamil identity with environmental concerns.
Coimbatore North Tamil Nadu assembly polls: past results and vote shifts
The electoral record of Coimbatore North Tamil Nadu assembly polls shows AIADMK dominance slowly reducing over recent cycles. In 2016, Arun Kumar PRG won the assembly seat for the AIADMK, finishing 7,724 votes ahead of the DMK candidate. The result confirmed the area’s then-strong leaning towards the party.
By 2021, the AIADMK hold weakened. Amman K Arjunan won for the party with 81,454 votes, edging past DMK’s Shanmugasundaram by just over 4,000 votes. The Makkal Needhi Maiam secured about 13 per cent of the vote, signalling a growing appetite for alternatives even as the DMK captured 133 of 234 seats statewide.
The broader Lok Sabha picture from 2024 in the Coimbatore North segment revealed a striking realignment. DMK recorded 40.76 per cent of the vote, while the BJP followed closely with 35.83 per cent. The AIADMK slipped to 14.6 per cent, suggesting that the BJP had established an independent vote bank in Coimbatore, separate from alliance arithmetic.
Candidate profiles add further texture to Coimbatore North Tamil Nadu assembly polls. Vanathi Srinivasan serves as National President of the BJP Mahila Morcha and earlier won from Coimbatore South, defeating Kamal Haasan of Makkal Needhi Maiama in 2021. Senthamil Selvan draws on the DMK’s organisational reach, while V Sampathkumar banks on the mass appeal of TVK chief Vijay’s supporters.
