CM Stalin’s ambition of winning over 200 seats in 2026 Assembly election is a daydream: Edappadi Palaniswami

AIADMK's Edappadi K. Palaniswami criticizes DMK's M.K. Stalin, predicts AIADMK-led coalition victory in 2026 Assembly polls.

The Leader of Opposition and AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami, on Sunday (June 8, 2025) said DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin is daydreaming of DMK-led coalition winning over 200 seats in 2026 Assembly polls.

Addressing party cadre at Arakkonam MLA S. Ravi’s son’s wedding in Arakkonam, Mr. Palaniswami said Mr. Stalin has been saying that the DMK-led coalition will win more than 200 Assembly seats in the upcoming election next year. “He (Mr. Stalin) is day-dreaming about it. It is AIADMK -led front that will form the next government in the State after the 2026 polls. More political parties will be joining the AIADMK coalition soon, strengthening its alliance,” he said.

Taking credit for creation of new districts in Tamil Nadu and other welfare measures, the former Chief Minister said during the AIADMK regime between 2016 - 2021, six new districts were formed in the State. Districts like Ranipet and Tirupattur were formed after bifurcating Vellore. Such a formation has helped to focus on backward areas in the newly-formed districts. “During the AIADMK regime, 11 new medical colleges, six law colleges and additional engineering and agricultural colleges were opened in the State. On the contrary, DMK is pasting stickers on those schemes and re-introduces them as new schemes,” he said.

The AIADMK supremo wondered what happened to the poll promises made by DMK during its campaign in the 2021 elections. For example, he said, the DMK promised to voters that when the party (DMK) comes to power, steps will be taken to construct new check dams to a tune of ₹2,000 crore in Tamil Nadu. “How many new check dams has the DMK government built so far in the State? Every monsoon, a huge quantity of excess rainwater goes unutilized as the water flows into the sea,” he said.

Mr. Palaniswami blamed DMK government for dumping its pro-poor and farmers welfare schemes like Amma clinics and kudimaramathu scheme where farmers were allowed to remove silt deposited in ponds and lakes in the area. The scheme has twin benefits, namely it helps to deepen waterbodies to store excess rainwater and secondly farmers can use silt to enrich their farmland, he said.

The AIADMK leader said that 3,460 government students in Tamil Nadu were able to pursue medicine currently because of the AIADMK initiative where it introduced 7.5% horizontal reservation for students of government schools in medical admissions, which is being implemented since the 2020-21 academic year, he said.

On the occasion, former AIADMK Minister and Tirupattur district in-charge for AIADMK K.C. Veeramani, party functionaries and cadre were present.