Chief Minister M K Stalin has set an ambitious target for the DMK party to win more than 200 seats in the 2026 Tamil Nadu assembly election. In a letter to party cadres on Wednesday, Stalin called on party members to prepare diligently for the upcoming assembly election. This announcement comes as the DMK gears up to celebrate its recent Lok Sabha poll victory with a grand ‘Mupperum Vizha’ in Coimbatore on June 15.
Stalin highlighted that the DMK front had garnered more votes than its rivals in 221 assembly segments across the state during the recent Lok Sabha elections. He interpreted this as a clear endorsement of the DMK government by the people. “Let the grand celebration on June 15 in Coimbatore inspire us to secure victories in more than 200 constituencies in the 2026 election,” Stalin urged.
Before the assembly election, Stalin emphasized the importance of securing victories in the Vikravandi bypoll and upcoming local body elections. He called on DMK workers to ensure these victories as a precursor to the larger goal set for 2026.
Responding to critics who suggested that Tamil Nadu would not benefit from the victory of 40 MPs since DMK is not part of the BJP-led front at the Centre, Stalin dismissed these claims as the lamentations of the defeated. He asserted that those who believe in parliamentary democracy understand that the DMK front’s sweep of 40 seats, alongside the widespread victory of the INDIA front, serves as a check on those in power. “Our sweep of 40 seats and widespread victory of the INDIA front is a harness for those in power,” Stalin stated, emphasizing that this victory has strengthened trust in Indian democracy.
Stalin reminisced about the DMK’s long-standing commitment to federal rights and the protection of non-Hindi speaking states from Hindi imposition. He recalled that in 1957, the DMK, with only two seats in Lok Sabha, secured a promise from then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to protect non-Hind