Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections 2026 : MK Stalin, Udhayanidhi Seek Return From Kolathur, Chepauk
Chennai: Chief Minister MK Stalin will seek his return to the Legislative Assembly from Kolathur constituency while his son and deputy in the government Udhayanidhi will seek to retain Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni constituency, the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) patriarch announced, while he released the list of candidates the party will be nominating to the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections on Saturday."Kolathur - Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin," he said as he wound up the list of 164 candidates, adding that the party would field 11 candidates from alliance partners in its symbol, Rising Sun.
He said the party has earmarked 70 seats to the alliance including those contesting in the DMK symbol.The DMK candidates include 125 graduates, seven PhD holders, 15 practising modern medical practitioners, 17 engineering graduates and diploma holders, and 29 lawyers. Sixty of the 164 candidates are fresh faces. The party has nominated 18 women from its base, the CM said.Three ministers who were not issued tickets are Mano Thangaraj who was elected from Padmanabhapuram constituency which has been allocated to CPI(M). The other two ministers are Kayalvizhi Selvaraj and R Gandhi who were elected from Dharapuram(SC) and Ranipet. Gandhi's son Vinodh has been nominated from Ranipet. While former Minister and Thirukovilur MLA K Ponmudi was not issued a ticket, his son Pon Gauthama Sigamani has been fielded from the same constituency.Former Minister V Senthil Balaji, a strongman from Cauvery Delta and Kongu region, has shifted from his Karur seat to Coimbatore South.Speaker M Appavu will seek a reelection from Radhapuram and former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam who switched to the DMK was given a ticket to Bodinayakanur seat.The DMK is leading an alliance comprising Congress and other parties like MDMK. Voting will take place on April 23, while the counting of votes will be held on May 3, 2026 for the 234-member Legislative Assembly.
On the delay in announcing the names, the incumbent Chief Minister claimed that the ruling Dravidian party calmly spoke with the alliance partners. "It took a bit more time to embrace everyone in the alliance and factor in their requests with empathy to frame the mega-mega alliance," he said.Asked whether the DMK was lacking in preparation for the elections, the DMK patriarch said that there was no inordinate delay as claimed and that they had been gearing up for the elections since 2024. "We have held zonal meetings of our booth agents and multiple party conclaves to strategise for the assembly elections. We are prepared, unlike them (AIAMDK alliance)"Stalin said he would release the party's election manifesto on Sunday. The DMK chief has consecutively won from the Kolathur assembly constituency since 2011.
As for the Chepauk-Triplicane constituency, it has been represented by Udhayanidhi's grandfather, the late M Karunanidhi, for three straight terms since 1996, then known as Chepauk.Udhayanidhi, an actor-producer, is a third-generation politician from the DMK's first family, following the footsteps of his grandfather and father. He made his electoral debut in the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.The DMK is aiming to retain power in the state and is being challenged by the AIADMK-led alliance, which comprises the Bharatiya Janata Party .