Tamil Nadu legislative assembly election, 1996

Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election, 1996

← 1991 2 May 1996 2001 →
All 234 seats in the Legislature of Tamil Nadu
First party Second party   Leader M. Karunanidhi J. Jayalalithaa Party DMK AIADMK Alliance UF INC+ Leader's seat Chepauk Bargur (lost) Seats won 221 4 Seat change 219 216 Popular vote 14,600,748 7,354,723 Percentage 53.77% 27.08% Swing 23.72% 32.71%
1996 election map (by constituencies)
Chief Minister before election J. Jayalalithaa AIADMK Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi DMK

J. Jayalalithaa
AIADMK

M. Karunanidhi
DMK

The eleventh legislative assembly election of Tamil Nadu was held on 2 May 1996. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) led front won the election and its leader M. Karunanidhi, became the chief minister.This was his fourth term in office. S.Balakrishnan, also known as So.Balakrishnan, of Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) became the Leader of the Opposition. The incumbent Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (ADMK) government was defeated in a landslide with its leader and outgoing chief minister J. Jayalalitha losing the election from the Bargur constituency.

The J. Jayalalithaa led Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (ADMK) government, which had been in power since 1991 was beset with corruption scandals and public discontent. A series of corruption scandals, a growing reputation for high handedness and an extravagant public wedding for Jayalalitha's foster son Sudhakaran all combined together to erode the ADMK support base and the goodwill she had enjoyed with the electorate in the 1991 elections.

The ADMK's alliance with Indian National Congress (INC), which had helped it to win the 1991 elections ran into trouble mid way through the ADMK's term. Jayalalitha terminated the alliance and Congress served as the principal opposition party in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. When the 1996 elections drew closer, it was expected that the Congress would contest the elections in alliance with the DMK. However against the wishes of the Tamil Nadu state unit of the Congress, the national congress leader (and then Indian prime minister) P. V. Narasimha Rao announced that the Congress would ally with the ADMK. This led to a split in the Tamil Nadu Congress with a majority of the party workers and cadre forming the Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) led by G. K. Moopanar. The TMC contested the elections in alliance with the DMK.