Chennai, Dec 10 (NationPress) The Opposition Leader and AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami confidently stated that the current ruling DMK has lost the public's trust. He predicted that the alliance led by AIADMK will achieve a significant victory in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.

Palaniswami pointed out that Chief Minister M.K. Stalin appears to be “shaken” by the renewed collaboration between AIADMK and the BJP.

During the AIADMK's executive committee and general council meeting held in Vanagaram, near Chennai, Palaniswami analyzed electoral trends dating back to 1991, asserting that voting behavior significantly varies between Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.

For example, he highlighted that in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the AIADMK-led coalition only triumphed in two out of 234 Assembly segments statewide. However, in the subsequent 2021 Assembly elections, the same coalition secured 75 seats.

Drawing a comparison with the current political landscape, he noted that while AIADMK and BJP contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections independently, they have now rejoined forces.

By combining the vote shares from the 2024 elections—23.05% for the AIADMK-led coalition and 18.28% for the National Democratic Alliance—he estimated a total vote share of 41.33%. Based on this analysis, he asserted that the alliance is poised to win at least 84 Assembly segments, with a potential to capture up to 210 seats in the upcoming elections.

Palaniswami criticized the DMK for fulfilling merely a quarter of their promises made before the 2021 elections during their nearly four-and-a-half years in power. He accused the government of being coerced by the AIADMK into introducing the Rs 1,000 monthly financial aid for women. He further claimed the ruling party has disillusioned the youth by only announcing free laptops for college students near the end of their term to sway voters.

The Opposition leader also alleged rampant corruption across various government sectors and demanded a Rs 5,000 cash gift for Pongal to be provided to ration card holders.

The meeting passed 16 resolutions, including formally supporting the AIADMK-BJP alliance, empowering Palaniswami to choose future coalition partners, urging the Union government to expedite the Coimbatore and Madurai Metro Rail projects, and endorsing the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

The session was overseen by K.P. Munusamy, the Deputy General Secretary, who took on the role of temporary chairman due to the age-related limitations of A. Tamil Magan Hussain. There were reports of minor disturbances at the venue before the meeting, as supporters breached barricades to enter, resulting in a few injuries that required first aid.