The seventh legislative assembly election to Tamil Nadu was held on 28 May 1980. The election was held two years before the end of the term of M. G. Ramachandran administration, as it was dissolved for the failure of 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 with Janata Party. Despite their landslide victory of 37 out of 39 seats at the general election in January 1980, DMK and 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.

Background

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.

Dismissal of AIADMK government

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 using similar allegations used by M.G.R to dismiss DMK government in 1976. 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.

Seat allotments

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.

AIADMK Front

DMK Front

Voting and Results

Results by Pre-Poll Alliance

!colspan=10| ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" |Alliance/Party !style="width:4px" | ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:right;" |Seats won ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:right;" |Change ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:right;" |Popular Vote ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:right;" |Vote % ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:right;" |Adj. %‡ ! style="background-color:#009900; color:white"|AIADMK+ alliance ! style="background-color: " | ! style="background-color: #008000" | ! style="background-color: #000080" | ! style="background-color: #0000FF" | ! style="background-color: teal" | ! style="background-color: olive" | ! style="background-color: #800000" | ! style="background-color:" | ! style="background-color:#FF0000; color:white"|DMK+ alliance ! style="background-color: " | ! style="background-color: #FF0000" | ! style="background-color: #00FFFF" | ! style="background-color: lime" | ! style="background-color:gray; color:white"|Others ! style="background-color:gray" | ! style="background-color: #FFFF00" | ! style="background-color: #666666" | ! style="background-color: " | ‡: 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

By constituency

M.G.R's Second Cabinet

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: Thiruvalargal S.R. Eradha and M.R. Govendan and Selvi P. Vijayalakhsmi were appointed as additional Members of the Council of Ministers with effect from 1 July 1983. Consequently the business of the Government was re-allocated among the Ministers as follows with effect from 1 July 1983: R. Soundararajan, Y. S. M. Yusuf, R Arunachalam and K.Kalaimani were appointed as additional Members of the Council of Minister with effect from 9 September 1983. Consequently the business of the Government was re-allocated among the Ministers as follows with effect from 9 September 1983: Thiruvalargal T. Veerasamy and K.K.S.S.R. Ramachandran were appointed as additional Members of the Council of Ministers with effect from 5 September 1984. The business of the Government was re-allocated among the Ministers as follows with effect from 5 September 1984.

Footnotes