2011 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election

The Fourteenth Legislative Assembly Election was held on 13 April 2011 to elect members from 234 constituencies in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Results were released on 13 May 2011. Two major parties Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) faced the election as coalitions of multiple political parties: DMK front consisted of 8 parties and the AIADMK of 11 parties. Vijayakanth's Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), which had contested the previous elections independently, allied with the AIADMK coalition. Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam boycotted the election following a disagreement with Jayalalithaa over seat-sharing. The outgoing Karunanidhi government was noted for the construction of new assembly building in Chennai, and issuance of a range of freebies such as color television to all. However, these were heavily overshadowed by other major issues such as incessant power cuts in households and industries, excessive sand mining, increasing prices of essential items, 2G spectrum case and undue influence of Karunanidhi's extended family in various aspects of Tamil politics and business and even media.

The election commission enforced stringent measures to curb the widespread abuse of power to bribe voters that had been common in previous elections; it also imposed strict campaign discipline by imposing the 10 PM curfew. The election recorded the highest polling ever in the state - 77 % of the total electorate voted in the election, surpassing 76 % polled in the 1967 election, till it was surpassed in the 2026 election with record percantage of 85 % The AIADMK-led front won a decisive victory, securing 203 constituencies. The AIADMK alone achieved a landslide majority with 150 seats, enabling it to form the government without coalition support. The DMDK won 29 seats, surpassing the DMK’s 23, and chose to serve as the official opposition. Political analysts viewed the results as a referendum on the outgoing DMK government, with strong anti-incumbency sentiment propelling the AIADMK coalition to victory. 16 ministers from the outgoing Karunanidhi cabinet were defeated in their respective constituencies. On 16 May 2011, J. Jayalalithaa was sworn in as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for the fourth time, along with 33 ministers, by governor Surjit Singh Barnala.