DMK Gears Up for 2026 Assembly Elections

Chennai — The ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu is gearing up for the 2026 Assembly elections, with party leadership requesting regular reports from constituency in-charges. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin is personally overseeing the election preparations, with a dedicated team led by Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin and party organizing secretary R.S. Bharathi managing daily operations. Senior DMK leaders Thangam Thenarasu and E.V. Velu, along with state ministers, are actively involved in these efforts.

The DMK has appointed full-time workers for all 234 Assembly constituencies, emphasizing performance-based selection. Half of these workers were chosen for their contributions to the DMK-led INDIA bloc's landslide victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where the alliance secured all 39 seats in Tamil Nadu and the lone seat in Puducherry. Each full-timer was carefully screened and selected after consulting local party leadership.

To ensure impartiality and focused execution of party strategies, the appointed workers are not residents of the constituencies they oversee. They are required to submit weekly reports to the state party headquarters, detailing progress and highlighting local strengths and weaknesses.

Further strengthening coordination, the DMK has assigned ministers to oversee each district. These ministers will work alongside the full-time constituency in-charges to monitor performance and ensure the effective implementation of state government schemes.

Stalin’s office is actively monitoring the performance of these ministers and has expressed confidence in the DMK's ability to secure 200 of the 234 Assembly seats in the 2026 elections. Currently holding 133 seats, the party aims for this ambitious target.

During a recent high-level meeting at Anna Arivalayam, Udhayanidhi Stalin criticized party leaders who underperformed in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections despite assigned responsibilities.

R.S. Bharathi, the DMK organizing secretary and a senior member of the core committee tasked with candidate selection for the 2026 elections, said, “Our leader and Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Thiru M.K. Stalin, has already set a target of winning 200 Assembly seats in the 2026 elections. The party’s organizational machinery is fully activated to achieve this goal.” Senior leaders, including Udhayanidhi Stalin, are working tirelessly to prepare the party, he added.

The DMK has partnered with Robin Sharma, a renowned political strategist and director of Showtime Consultancy, to enhance its campaign strategies. The DMK turned to a third-party electioneering consultant due to the perceived importance of Tamil superstar Vijay's political entry.