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1980 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election
The seventh legislative assembly election of Tamil Nadu was held on 28 May 1980. The election was held two years before the end of the M. G. Ramachandran (MGR) administration's term, as it was dissolved for the failure of the state machinery by the then President of India Neelam Sanjiva Reddy. Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam allied with the Indian National Congress (Indira) and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam allied with Janata Party. Despite their landslide victory of 37 out of 39 seats at the general election in January 1980, DMK and the Indira Congress failed to win the legislative assembly election. AIADMK won the election and its leader and incumbent Chief Minister MGR was sworn in as Chief Minister for the second time.
The All India 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). AIADMK 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.
M. G. Ramachandran government introduced a ₹9,000 income ceiling in July 1979 to apply an economic criterion for reservation and exclude the “creamy layer,” and later advocated extending reservation to all categories, including the general category, on economic grounds. The move triggered protests led by K. Veeramani and aided M. Karunanidhi’s Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in the 1980 Lok sabha general election, where the AIADMK suffered a drubbing; the order was withdrawn on 21 January 1980, raising the Backward Classes quota to 50%, following which the K. Veeramani led Dravidar Kazhagam supported the AIADMK in the June 1980 Assembly elections.
Congress-DMK victory in the 1980 parliamentary election emboldened their alliance and made them think that people lost their faith in M. G. Ramachandran government. DMK pressed the union government to dismiss the Tamil Nadu government. The AIADMK ministry and the assembly were dismissed by the union government on grounds of civil disorder due to Farmers protest for electricity subsidy. General elections were conducted in 1980.
During the campaign, following the dismissal of his government, MGR directly appealed to the electorate with a single question, “What wrong did I do to deserve this (dismissal)?”, thereby reinforcing his reliance on the popular mandate and his image as a leader closely aligned with the masses, which yielded fruitful results. On 1 June 1980, votes were counted. In other states where governments had been dismissed, Congress (I) secured victories. However, in Tamil Nadu alone, the DMK-Congress alliance was defeated, despite having won a landslide victory in loksabha elections just five months earlier.
After the Lok Sabha election, negotiations in seat allotments between DMK and INC(I) were heated. They finally agreed on contesting in equal number of seats. This led to the debate on who the will be the Chief Minister if the alliance wins, which led to TNCC general secretary G.K. Moopanar and Prime Minister Indira Gandhi announcing that DMK president M. Karunanidhi will be the CM candidate for the alliance. Even after the announcement, party leaders were under the impression that DMK must outperform INC(I), in order for Karunanidhi to get the chief ministership. As part of Aiadmk front, Kumari Ananathan led GKNC contested in Rose electoral Symbol.
‡: Vote % reflects the percentage of votes the party received compared to the entire electorate that voted in this election. Adjusted (Adj.) Vote %, reflects the % of votes the party received per constituency that they contested.
Sources: Election Commission of India and Keesing's Report
After the Seventh General Elections held in 1980, a new Ministry with Dr. M. G. Ramachandran as Chief Ministers was formed on the noon of 9 June 1980. The names of the Ministers with their portfolios are given below:
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1980 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election
The seventh legislative assembly election of Tamil Nadu was held on 28 May 1980. The election was held two years before the end of the M. G. Ramachandran (MGR) administration's term, as it was dissolved for the failure of the state machinery by the then President of India Neelam Sanjiva Reddy. Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam allied with the Indian National Congress (Indira) and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam allied with Janata Party. Despite their landslide victory of 37 out of 39 seats at the general election in January 1980, DMK and the Indira Congress failed to win the legislative assembly election. AIADMK won the election and its leader and incumbent Chief Minister MGR was sworn in as Chief Minister for the second time.
The All India 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). AIADMK 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.
M. G. Ramachandran government introduced a ₹9,000 income ceiling in July 1979 to apply an economic criterion for reservation and exclude the “creamy layer,” and later advocated extending reservation to all categories, including the general category, on economic grounds. The move triggered protests led by K. Veeramani and aided M. Karunanidhi’s Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in the 1980 Lok sabha general election, where the AIADMK suffered a drubbing; the order was withdrawn on 21 January 1980, raising the Backward Classes quota to 50%, following which the K. Veeramani led Dravidar Kazhagam supported the AIADMK in the June 1980 Assembly elections.
Congress-DMK victory in the 1980 parliamentary election emboldened their alliance and made them think that people lost their faith in M. G. Ramachandran government. DMK pressed the union government to dismiss the Tamil Nadu government. The AIADMK ministry and the assembly were dismissed by the union government on grounds of civil disorder due to Farmers protest for electricity subsidy. General elections were conducted in 1980.
During the campaign, following the dismissal of his government, MGR directly appealed to the electorate with a single question, “What wrong did I do to deserve this (dismissal)?”, thereby reinforcing his reliance on the popular mandate and his image as a leader closely aligned with the masses, which yielded fruitful results. On 1 June 1980, votes were counted. In other states where governments had been dismissed, Congress (I) secured victories. However, in Tamil Nadu alone, the DMK-Congress alliance was defeated, despite having won a landslide victory in loksabha elections just five months earlier.
After the Lok Sabha election, negotiations in seat allotments between DMK and INC(I) were heated. They finally agreed on contesting in equal number of seats. This led to the debate on who the will be the Chief Minister if the alliance wins, which led to TNCC general secretary G.K. Moopanar and Prime Minister Indira Gandhi announcing that DMK president M. Karunanidhi will be the CM candidate for the alliance. Even after the announcement, party leaders were under the impression that DMK must outperform INC(I), in order for Karunanidhi to get the chief ministership. As part of Aiadmk front, Kumari Ananathan led GKNC contested in Rose electoral Symbol.
‡: Vote % reflects the percentage of votes the party received compared to the entire electorate that voted in this election. Adjusted (Adj.) Vote %, reflects the % of votes the party received per constituency that they contested.
Sources: Election Commission of India and Keesing's Report
After the Seventh General Elections held in 1980, a new Ministry with Dr. M. G. Ramachandran as Chief Ministers was formed on the noon of 9 June 1980. The names of the Ministers with their portfolios are given below: