Tamil Nadu legislative assembly election, 1980

Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election, 1980

← 1977 May 28, 1980 1984 →
All 234 seats in the Legislature of Tamil Nadu
First party Second party   Leader M. G. Ramachandran M. Karunanidhi Party AIADMK DMK Alliance ADMK+ INC+ Leader's seat Madurai West Anna Nagar Seats won 162 69 Seat change 14 6 Popular vote 9,328,839 8,371,718 Percentage 48.92% 44.43% Swing 18.56% 19.54%
1980 election map (by constituencies)
Chief Minister before election M. G. Ramachandran AIADMK Chief Minister M. G. Ramachandran AIADMK

M. G. Ramachandran
AIADMK

M. G. Ramachandran
AIADMK

The seventh legislative assembly election to Tamil Nadu was held on May 28, 1980. Election was held two years before the end of the term of M. G. Ramachandran administration as it was dissolved by the then President of India Neelam Sanjiva Reddy. Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam allied with the Indian National Congress (Indira) and Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam with Janata Party. Despite their victory at the 1980 Lok Sabha polls, DMK and Indira Congress failed to win the legislative assembly election. ADMK won the election and its leader and incumbent Chief Minister, M. G. Ramachandran was sworn in as Chief Minister for the second time. He became the first leader since K. Kamaraj to win a re-election as a Chief Minister.

Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam allied with Indian National Congress (Indira) in 1977 parliamentary election. However, when Janata Party won the election and Morarji Desai became the Prime Minister, M. G. Ramachandran extended unconditional support to the Janata party Government. He continued his support to the Charan Singh Government in 1979. After the fall of the Charan Singh government, fresh parliamentary elections were conducted in 1980. Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam struck alliance with INC(I). ADMK and Janata Party alliance won only 2 seats in Tamil Nadu in that parliamentary election. INC(I) won the election and Indira Gandhi became the Prime Minister.