Tamil Nadu polls: CM Stalin conducts door-to-door campaign in Vellore as Karthikeyan-SRK Appu gear up for rematch

During his campaign, he was spotted drinking tea at a local shop and interacting with people in the city known as the Fort city of Tamil Nadu.

The DMK has fielded sitting MLA P Karthikeyan in the Vellore seat, in a rematch against All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK)'s SRK Appu.

In the 2021 elections, Karthikeyan had defeated Appu with a margin of 9,181 votes (5.1 per cent). Votes of the Muslim community will be key as there was a 24.28 per cent Muslim population in Vellore city, according to the 2011 census.

Earlier on Monday, MK Stalin asserted that the DMK would defeat the NDA alliance in the upcoming Assembly elections, vowing that the "Tamil Nadu team" would prevail over the "Delhi team."

Addressing a public meeting in Ranipet district as part of his election campaign, Stalin alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was raising the issue of delimitation to divert attention from pressing concerns such as LPG shortages and the depreciation of the Indian rupee against the US dollar.

"In the 2026 democratic war, I have come so that we shall defeat the Delhi team and make the Tamil Nadu team win. BJP is now taking the delimitation in hand. People are facing trouble without gas, and the Indian rupee has gone high against the dollar. So, to divert attention, the BJP is trying to take the delimitation issue now. This delimitation is the biggest in Indian history. If they are hiding it and trying to implement it, then surely they are against Tamil Nadu," Stalin said.

Describing the party's election manifesto as a "superstar," the DMK president also announced a welfare scheme aimed at women voters ahead of the State Assembly elections. Under the proposed initiative, the party plans to provide an Rs 8,000 coupon to women, which can be utilised to purchase new home appliances or exchange existing ones.

Tamil Nadu will go to the polls in a single phase on April 23, with the counting of votes scheduled for May 4.

The main contest is expected between the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance, which includes the Indian National Congress, DMDK and VCK, and the National Democratic Alliance led by AIADMK with BJP and PMK as allies.

Actor-turned-politician Vijay is also set to make his electoral debut with his party TVK, which could turn the contest into a three-way fight. (ANI)