Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections: From MK Stalin to EPS and Vijay; Major candidates will be in focus on May 4. india news
Tamil Nadu’s political battle will enter its decisive phase with the counting of votes on Monday, as the focus turns to whether the DMK retains its grip on power. AIADMK Makes a strong comeback, or TVK manages to change the traditional equation of the state.However, beyond individual contests, this election is being closely watched to see how new political entrants and coalition dynamics reshape traditional voting patterns.
from the Chief Minister mk stalin Actor turned leader to defend his area Thalapathy Vijay Making his electoral debut, and with AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palanisamy fighting to regain relevance, the 2026 election was filled with high-stakes battles across all constituencies.Here are the leading candidatesMK Stalin: The Chief Minister is contesting from Kolathur and is pitted against AIADMK’s Santhana Krishnan. Kolathur has been a DMK stronghold since 2011, when Stalin won from the seat for the first time.He retained it in both the 2016 and 2021 assembly elections. In 2021, he won against Aadhi Rajaram of AIADMK by a huge margin of around 1,00,000 votes.Udhayanidhi Stalin: MK Stalin’s son and Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin is contesting from Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni against AIADMK’s Aadhi Rajaram. In 2021, he won the seat against PMK’s Kasali with 68.92% vote share.Ahead of the assembly elections, Udhayanidhi evolved from a campaign face to a key strategist and emerged as the DMK’s youth outreach leader. His performance is being closely watched as a measure of both his leadership and the future direction of the party.Thalapathy Vijay: The actor-turned-politician has made his electoral debut and is being seen as the biggest disruptor in the race. He is contesting from Tiruchirappalli East and Perambur. His party, launched in February 2024, has fielded candidates in all 234 constituencies.Edappadi K Palanisamy: The AIADMK leader is contesting from Edappadi in Salem district. He has worked to strengthen the party by bringing back former rivals including TTV Dhinakaran.This time, he has also formed a broad alliance including BJP and PMK, aiming to cash in on the anti-incumbency wave against the DMK and regain lost ground.Hey Panneerselvam: Once a close confidant of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa, he has forged an alliance with the DMK ahead of the elections. The ruling party has fielded him from Bodinayakkanur, a constituency he has represented several times.Nainar Nagendran: The BJP state unit chief is contesting from Sattur. In 2021, he won from Tirunelveli assembly constituency.