DMDK meet on April 30 to finalise strategy for 2026 TN Assembly elections

Chennai (The Uttam Hindu): The DMDK will finalise its strategy for the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections at its upcoming general council meeting scheduled for April 30.

The party announced that both the general and executive council meetings will take place in Palacode, Tamil Nadu. Founded by the late Tamil film star and political leader Vijayakant, the DMDK continues to maintain a presence in several pockets across the state.

The upcoming meeting will be presided over by Premalatha Vijayakant, party general secretary and wife of the late founder.

According to a statement released by party headquarters, Premalatha is expected to address key party functionaries and cadres on vital matters related to the party’s future, election preparedness, and possible alliances ahead of the 2026 polls.

The meeting is expected to witness the participation of senior party leaders, high-level committee members, state and district secretaries, former MLAs, and general and executive council members.

Representatives from union territories and neighbouring states, such as Puducherry, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Delhi, and the Andaman Islands, will also attend.

The DMDK, a Dravidian party, was launched on September 14, 2005, in Madurai by Vijayakant, who later served as the Leader of Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.

The party’s headquarters, “Captain Aalayam”, is located in Koyambedu, Chennai. In the 2011 Assembly elections, the DMDK won 29 of the 40 seats it contested in alliance with the AIADMK, emerging as the second-largest party in the House.

This historic win pushed the DMK to third place and earned Vijayakant the distinction of being the first actor to serve as Leader of Opposition in any Indian state Assembly. The party was also granted a permanent election symbol, the “Nagara”, by the Election Commission of India. However, Vijayakant stepped down from his role on February 21, 2016, following the resignation of eight party MLAs.

In the 2024 general elections, the DMDK aligned with the AIADMK-led NDA in Tamil Nadu, joining hands with Puthiya Tamilagam (PT) and the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI). The party contested five constituencies, including Virudhunagar, where Vijayakant’s son, V. Vijaya Prabhakaran, lost to Congress MP Manickam Tagore by a narrow margin of 4,379 votes. NDA candidate and actress Radhika Sarathkumar was pushed to third place in that contest.

Following the elections, Premalatha Vijayakant demanded a Rajya Sabha seat for the party. However, AIADMK leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami clarified that no such assurance had been given. Against this backdrop, the April 30 council meeting is expected to play a crucial role in determining the DMDK’s future political course.