| Election Name: | Indian general election in Tamil Nadu, 1980 |
| Country: | India |
| Type: | parliamentary |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | Indian general election in Tamil Nadu, 1977 |
| Previous Year: | 1977 |
| Next Election: | Indian general election in Tamil Nadu, 1984 |
| Next Year: | 1984 |
| Election Date: | January 1980 |
| Seats For Election: | 39 (of 542) seats to the Lok Sabha |
| Registered: | 28,113,893 |
| Turnout: | 66.76% 0.37% |
| Party1: | Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| Alliance1: | Congress Alliance |
| Leaders Seat1: | Did not contest |
| Seats1: | 37 |
| Seat Change1: | 21 |
| Popular Vote1: | 10,290,515 |
| Percentage1: | 55.89% |
| Swing1: | 15.01% |
| Leader2: | M. G. Ramachandran |
| Leaders Seat2: | Did not contest |
| Party2: | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| Alliance2: | Janata alliance |
| Seats2: | 2 |
| Seat Change2: | 21 |
| Popular Vote2: | 7,392,655 |
| Percentage2: | 40.14% |
| Swing2: | 13.73% |
| Map Size: | 200px |
| Before Election: | Janata Party |
| After Party: | Indian National Congress (Indira) |
The 1980 Indian general election in Tamil Nadu saw elections for all 39 Lok Sabha seats in the state. The result was a landslide victory for the Indian National Congress (Indira) and its ally Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, who won 37 out of 39 seats. Many observers considered it an upset defeat[1] for the ruling state party, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, and its general secretary M. G. Ramachandran, which only won 2 seats—Gobichettipalayam and Sivakasi. Prior to the election, INC leader Indira Gandhi had formed an alliance with the DMK, resulting in an important part of her victory in the nationwide election that returned her to the office of Prime Minister of India.
| No. | Party | Election Symbol | Leader | Seats | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 22 | ||||
| 2. | 16 | ||||
| 3. | 1 | ||||
| No. | Party | Election Symbol | Leader | Seats | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 24 | ||||
| 2. | P. Ramachandran | 9 | |||
| 3. | Communist Party of India (Marxist) | G. Ramakrishnan | 3 | ||
| 4. | Tha.Pandian | 3 | |||
| Alliance | Party | align=centre | Popular Vote | align=centre | Percentage | align=centre | Swing | align=centre | Seats won | align=centre | Seat Change | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DMK+ | Indian National Congress (Indira) | 5,821,411 | 31.62% | 9.35% | 20 | 6 | |||||||
| Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | 4,236,537 | 23.01% | 4.40% | 16 | 14 | ||||||||
| Independent | 232,567 | 1.26% | 1 | ||||||||||
| Total | 10,290,515 | 55.89% | 15.01% | 37 | 21 | ||||||||
| AIADMK+ | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | 4,674,064 | 25.38% | 4.66% | 2 | 15 | |||||||
| Janata Party | 1,465,782 | 7.96% | 9.71% | 0 | 3 | ||||||||
| Communist Party of India | 660,940 | 3.59% | 1.01% | 0 | 3 | ||||||||
| Communist Party of India (Marxist) | 591,869 | 3.21% | 1.65% | 0 | |||||||||
| Total | 7,392,655 | 40.14% | 13.73% | 2 | 21 | ||||||||
| Janata Party (Secular) | 98,729 | 0.54% | new party | 0 | new party | ||||||||
| Indian National Congress (Urs) | 41,671 | 0.23% | new party | 0 | new party | ||||||||
| Republican Party of India | 9,497 | 0.05% | 0.03% | 0 | |||||||||
| Independents | 579,677 | 3.15% | 2.07% | 0 | |||||||||
| Total | 18,412,744 | 100.00% | 39 | ||||||||||
| Valid Votes | 18,412,744 | 98.11% | |||||||||||
| Invalid Votes | 355,074 | 1.89% | |||||||||||
| Total Votes | 18,767,818 | 100.00% | |||||||||||
| Reigstered Voters/Turnout | 28,113,893 | 66.76% | 0.37% | ||||||||||
Volume I, 1980 Indian general election, 7th Lok Sabha