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Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister and DMK Youth Wing Secretary Udayanidhi Stalin on Tuesday held an election campaign in the Dharmapuri area ahead of the upcoming Legislative Assembly elections in the state.
The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly elections are scheduled to be held on April 23, 2026, to elect over 234 members. The counting of votes will take place on May 4. Earlier in the day, Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin launched a sharp attack on Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami during an election campaign meeting in Tiruvannamalai. Addressing a large gathering, Udhayanidhi Stalin criticised Palaniswami, stating, "We have seen aggressive devotees and aggressive party workers, but Edappadi Palaniswami stands as an aggressive slave of the BJP." He further alleged that the AIADMK leader has become subservient to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and is attempting to bring the BJP into Tamil Nadu. The campaign meeting was held near the Thiruvalluvar statue in the Tiruvannamalai Assembly constituency in support of DMK candidate and Public Works Minister E.V. Velu. Thousands of party workers and members of alliance parties, including Congress, MDMK, DMDK, VCK, CPI(M), and CPI, participated in the event. Udhayanidhi Stalin arrived in an open vehicle and sought votes for the DMK's Rising Sun symbol. During his speech, he praised EV Velu, highlighting his administrative capability and experience. He noted that both former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and current Chief Minister M.K. Stalin have recognised Velu's efficiency. He also recalled that Velu had previously won the constituency with a margin of 95,000 votes and urged voters to increase the margin to one lakh in the upcoming election. He also outlined the DMK government's welfare initiatives, including free bus travel for women, the breakfast scheme for school students, the Pudhumai Penn scheme for girls, financial assistance schemes for youth, employment generation, free laptops for students, and financial aid for women. He accused opposition parties of attempting to block financial assistance schemes through legal means but said the state government ensured payments to beneficiaries. Looking ahead, he announced key promises under the "Dravidian Model 2.0," including increasing women's financial assistance to 2000, expanding the breakfast scheme up to Class 8, raising monthly assistance for youth and women, enhancing pensions, providing free laptops to 35 lakh students, collateral-free loans for women self-help groups, housing for 10 lakh families, and 8000 household appliance coupons. Reiterating his criticism, Udhayanidhi said Palaniswami is aligning with Modi and attempting to pave the way for the BJP in the state. He concluded by saying that the election is a contest between Tamil Nadu and Delhi, urging voters to support the DMK to safeguard state's rights. (ANI)
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