‘Daydreaming’, EPS dismisses CM Stalin’s 2026 Assembly election target

Chennai: Leader of Opposition and AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) on Sunday dismissed Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s claim that the DMK-led coalition would win over 200 seats in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, calling it a “daydream”.

Speaking at the wedding of Arakkonam MLA S. Ravi’s son, Palaniswami said, “Stalin is daydreaming when he says his alliance will secure more than 200 Assembly seats in the next polls. It is, in fact, the AIADMK-led front that will form the next government in Tamil Nadu after 2026.”

He also asserted that more political parties would soon join the AIADMK alliance, further strengthening its position.

Highlighting achievements of the AIADMK during its previous tenure from 2016 to 2021, Palaniswami took credit for the creation of six new districts in Tamil Nadu, including Ranipet and Tirupattur, which were carved out of Vellore.

He said the formation of these new administrative units enabled a better focus on underdeveloped regions.

The former Chief Minister also listed several educational initiatives launched during the AIADMK regime, including the establishment of 11 new medical colleges, six law colleges, and additional engineering and agricultural colleges.

“On the contrary, the DMK government is merely relaunching our schemes under new names by pasting their stickers on them,” he alleged.

Palaniswami questioned the DMK’s 2021 poll promise to build check dams worth Rs 2,000 crore across Tamil Nadu. “How many check dams has the DMK government built so far? Every monsoon, excess rainwater simply drains into the sea due to poor planning,” he said.

He further criticised the DMK for discontinuing pro-poor schemes introduced by the AIADMK, such as Amma Clinics and the Kudimaramathu initiative, which allowed farmers to desilt local waterbodies. “This not only deepened water storage areas but also provided nutrient-rich silt for farmlands,” he said.

Palaniswami also cited the AIADMK’s introduction of the 7.5 per cent horizontal reservation for government school students in medical admissions as a landmark initiative. “Thanks to this, 3,460 government school students have been able to pursue medicine since the 2020-21 academic year,” he said.

The event was attended by former Minister and Tirupattur district in-charge K.C. Veeramani, along with several AIADMK functionaries and party cadre.

–IANS