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.

The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam allied with Indian National Congress (Indira) in 1977 parliamentary election.

AIADMK and Janata Party alliance won only 2 seats in Tamil Nadu in that parliamentary election.

[1] 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.

The AIADMK ministry and the assembly were dismissed by the union government on grounds of civil disorder due to Farmers protest for electricity subsidy.

[3] 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.