Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president M.K. Stalin on Wednesday, June 12, 2024, told party cadres to gear up for the 2026 Assembly elections.
“Like the massive victory the DMK-led alliance secured by winning all the 39 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu and the lone seat in Puducherry during this year’s Lok Sabha elections, let us ensure that we win 200 plus seats in the upcoming 2026 assembly elections. The Mupperum Vizha in Coimbatore on June 15 will give us the required motivation,” he said, in a letter to cadres.
The Mupperum Vizha will felicitate Mr. Stalin for the DMK-led alliance winning all the 40 Parliamentary constituency seats. The event will also be a platform to express gratitude to the public for the victory of the INDIA bloc candidates in the general elections, and will mark the valedictory of the birth centenary celebrations of former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi.
“Post this event, we will be facing the by-poll for the Vikravandi Assembly constituency. We have to ensure our continuous victory there. Next come the local body elections. And above all, we have to start preparing ourselves for the 2026 Assembly elections,” Mr. Stalin said.
“I have also noticed that some people in the opposite camp are asking what was the benefit to Tamil Nadu as there was no chance of [the INDIA bloc] participating in the Union government. That is not a question, but only a lament about their failure”, he said.
Those who believe in democracy and also aware of the rights provided to them by the Indian Constitution, know very well that the 40/40 victory acted as a rein to those in power at the Centre and will provide a safeguard to the Indian constitution, Mr. Stalin said.
In 1957, the DMK had two Lok Sabha members, but got assurances against the Hindi imposition. In 1962, Anna’s maiden speech in the Rajya Sabha, in which he said, ‘I belong to the Dravidian stock,’ was the first speech towards State autonomy. In continuation of this, voices for autonomy are also coming in from BJP-ruled States, Mr. Stalin pointed out. The next set of moves from the INDIA alliance will decide the future direction of India, Mr. Stalin said.
Coimbatore and west T.N.
Some parties had been considering the western belt in Tamil Nadu as their bastion. People in that region have made these parties realise where they stand by giving their verdict in favour of the DMK-led alliance. “This is why the Mupperum Vizha is being held in Coimbatore,” he noted.
In the three years of the ‘Dravidian model’ government, people have directly benefited from multiple schemes, and this has resulted in the government earning their trust. “The flagship schemes will continue, and the public’s trust will further be strengthened. You have to ensure that the scheme reaches people and highlight the benefits to them,” Mr. Stalin told the party cadres.
