Elections 98

State:	Tamil Nadu
Constituency:	Arakkonam
Total Votes Polled:	721536
Winner: ADMK	Gopal C	359431
Runner Up: TMC(M)	Velu A.M.	309943
Margin: 49488 (14%)

Elections 96

State:	Tamilnadu
Constituency:	Arakkonam
Total Votes Polled:	757483
Winner: TMC(M)	Velu A M	425974
Runner Up: INC	Raviram R	161129
Margin: 264845 (36.71%)

A Congress stronghold if possible in TN, this seat had, till 1991, voted non-Congress only once, and that was in 1967 at the height of the DMK fervour. Congressman R Jeevarathinam had won the seat three consecutive times starting 1984, and in 1996 the seat turned to the Tamil Maanila Congress's A M Velu.