AIADMK to Kick Off 2026 Assembly Election Campaign with EPS's Statewide Tour Starting January
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Chennai, Dec 16 (NationPress) The major opposition party in Tamil Nadu, AIADMK, is preparing for the upcoming 2026 Assembly elections. Party General Secretary and former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) is poised to initiate a statewide campaign by the end of January.
As part of this campaign, EPS plans to travel to all 234 Assembly constituencies across the state, where he will address rallies and shed light on the alleged wrongdoings of the ruling DMK government.
In a statement made on Monday, AIADMK outlined its intention to assign full-time organizational heads, including women, to oversee each booth committee.
Tamil Nadu comprises 68,467 booths, and these in-charges will manage grassroots campaign efforts.
During the party’s General Council meeting held in Vanagaram on Sunday, EPS stressed the importance of bolstering the party’s youth wing, Ilaignar Pasarai (Youth Brigades), to engage young voters and rejuvenate the party.
He directed district secretaries to enroll more young individuals into the brigades, a concept initially introduced by former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa in 2008.
This initiative was instrumental in AIADMK’s success in the 2011 Assembly elections. Membership in the Youth Brigades caters to individuals aged 18 to 25.
Furthermore, the party intends to establish a distinct sports wing to attract youth by organizing local sports events, which the booth in-charges will supervise.
Since its defeat in the 2021 Assembly elections, AIADMK has faced challenges in regaining its position. The party also suffered a significant setback in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, failing to win any of the 39 seats in Tamil Nadu and the sole seat in Puducherry.
Meanwhile, the DMK, AIADMK’s main competitor, has already begun its preparations for the 2026 elections.
The DMK has appointed full-time workers for each of the state’s 234 Assembly constituencies.
Half of these workers were selected based on their performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where the DMK-led INDIA bloc achieved a sweeping victory, clinching all 39 seats in Tamil Nadu and the only seat in Puducherry.
The DMK’s appointees were meticulously vetted and chosen with input from local leadership. Notably, these workers are not residents of the constituencies they are assigned to, ensuring neutrality and concentrated efforts. DMK President and Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has expressed confidence in his party's prospects, asserting that the DMK will secure 200 of the 234 Assembly seats in the forthcoming elections.
