Elections 98

State:	Tamil Nadu
Constituency:	Sivaganga
Total Votes Polled:	618259
Winner: TMC(M)	Chidambaram, P.	303854
Runner Up: ADMK	Kalimuthu, K.	244713
Margin: 59141 (19%)

Elections 96

State:	Tamilnadu
Constituency:	Sivaganga
Total Votes Polled:	674632
Winner: TMC(M)	Chidambaram P	418774
Runner Up: INC	Gowrishankaran M	171472
Margin: 247302 (38.26%)

Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram's pocket borough, which he has held on since 1980. In 1996, he was the TMC candidate, fighting his erstwhile Congress colleague M Gowrishankaran, and defeated him by 247,000 votes.