Tamil Nadu · Vidhan Sabha (State Assembly) Election 1996
Bernard, Era of Dravida Munetra Kazhagam won the Colachal Vidhan Sabha (Assembly) constituency in Tamil Nadu in the 1996 state assembly election, securing 41,217 votes (42.90% vote share). The runner-up was S.P. Kutty (Bharatiya Janata Party) with 33,791 votes.
A total of 17 candidates contested this assembly seat. State Assembly elections elect Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) using India's First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) system, and the party or alliance winning a majority of seats forms the state government. Full candidate-wise vote breakdown, vote shares, and constituency information are shown below.
| Position | Candidate Name | Votes | Votes% | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bernard, Era | 41217 | 42.90% | Dravida Munetra Kazhagam |
| 2 | S.P. Kutty | 33791 | 35.10% | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| 3 | Sambath Chandra, R. | 11528 | 12.00% | Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| 4 | Pauliah, A. | 8401 | 8.70% | Indian National Congress |
| 5 | Chandra Sekhar | 186 | 0.20% | Independent |
| 6 | Jaipal, J.T. | 168 | 0.20% | All India Indira Congress (TIWARI) |
| 7 | Sreekumaran Thampy, A. | 137 | 0.10% | Independent |
| 8 | Tharchis Xavier, S. | 130 | 0.10% | Independent |
| 8 | Chandrasekaran, N. | 130 | 0.10% | Independent |
| 10 | Ponnuswamy, E. | 83 | 0.10% | Independent |
| 11 | Murugan, R. | 71 | 0.10% | Independent |
| 12 | Thomas, S. | 66 | 0.10% | Independent |
| 13 | Poulin, P. | 62 | 0.10% | Independent |
| 14 | Periya Nadar, S. | 60 | 0.10% | Independent |
| 15 | Krishnaraj, M. | 58 | 0.10% | Independent |
| 16 | Rajasingh, C. | 50 | 0.10% | Independent |
| 17 | Monikandan, K. | 43 | 0.00% | Independent |
The Colachal constituency is part of the Tamil Nadu Vidhan Sabha (Legislative Assembly). In the 1996 Assembly election, 17 candidates contested for this seat. Bernard, Era (Dravida Munetra Kazhagam) emerged as the winner securing 41,217 votes.
State Assembly elections in India determine which party or coalition forms the state government. The party or alliance winning a majority of Assembly seats in a state gets to form the government and appoint the Chief Minister. Unlike Lok Sabha elections which are held simultaneously across India, each state follows its own election cycle, typically every five years.
How to read this data: The candidate table above shows all contestants ranked by position. The vote percentage column shows each candidate's share of the total votes polled in this constituency. The bar chart visualizes the top candidates' vote counts for quick comparison.