All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) candidate for the Madurai North constituency, P Saravanan, has expressed confidence that the party will secure a 'thumping majority' in the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, citing strong anti-incumbency sentiment against the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).
Speaking on Saturday, Saravanan said, “There is a severe anti-incumbency against DMK and our party will win with a thumping majority. Our General Secretary will become the next CM of Tamil Nadu.”
He took a swipe at Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay, stating, “He is just a reel hero, the real hero is Edappadi Palaniswami.”
Meanwhile, AIADMK has filed a complaint with the Election Commission of India (ECI) accusing the DMK of illegally using the Tamil Nadu government’s Information and Public Relations Department to conduct its election campaign.
In a letter addressed to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik, AIADMK MP I S Inbadurai alleged that the Tamil Nadu government’s Information and Public Relations Department was being employed to promote the ruling party’s campaign.
The complaint asserted that government equipment was being used to live-stream content on the “DMK4TN” YouTube channel and that campaign-related material was being distributed through a private Gmail account.
It further alleged that a government press vehicle and officials, including Joint Director Prabhu Kumar and other staff, accompanied Chief Minister MK Stalin to collect and broadcast campaign material.
The AIADMK’s complaint listed several department heads and wings, such as the Tamil Nadu Film Division and the Social Media Wing, accusing them of active involvement in partisan work and claiming staff were being compelled to perform such duties.
This complaint comes as Tamil Nadu prepares for its Assembly elections, scheduled for a single phase on April 23, with counting set for May 4.
The main contest is anticipated to be between the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA), which includes the Indian National Congress, DMDK and VCK, and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by AIADMK with BJP and PMK as allies. Actor-turned-politician Vijay is also making his electoral debut with TVK, potentially creating a three-way contest.