K. Selvaperunthagai, TNCC chief, spearheaded Congress’s four-member team, which included key figures like AICC’s Girish Chodankar, Nivedita Alva, and CLP leader Rajesh Kumar. DMK countered with treasurer T.R. Balu leading a seven-person panel handpicked by CM M.K. Stalin.

The timing couldn’t be more critical. Political whispers suggest Congress is weighing options like ties with Vijay’s TVK if DMK doesn’t budge. Insiders say Congress wants 35+ assembly seats and two Rajya Sabha positions, clashing with DMK’s counter of 25 assembly seats and one upper house slot—possibly up to 28.

‘We have to factor in other allies and potential newcomers; 35-plus is tough,’ confided a veteran party insider. While Congress has shelved demands for government roles, it’s doubling down on seats and spots in municipal bodies, temple administrations, and welfare panels.

DMK insiders indicate flexibility on auxiliary demands. With elections looming, these negotiations represent a delicate dance: sustaining a historic alliance, managing cadre expectations, and crafting a winning formula. Success here could solidify the front against rivals; failure might trigger realignments in the state’s fractious politics.

At the heart of the critique: DMK’s 505 pre-poll promises, most of which BJP claims remain unfulfilled or poorly executed. From battling inflation and generating jobs to bolstering law and order, the report paints a picture of systemic shortfalls. Economic mismanagement has deterred investors, while public safety, especially for women, has suffered amid rising crimes.

Education and health sectors fare no better, with crumbling facilities and inadequate services exposing deep-rooted neglect. BJP amplified corruption charges, referencing PM Modi’s barbs on family-run politics and Amit Shah’s infamous ‘20% premium’ accusation—claims DMK fervently rejects.

The opposition didn’t spare DMK’s Congress ties, invoking historical baggage to question credibility. In response, DMK touts its welfare-driven governance model focused on equity and development. Compiled through public interactions across the state, this report signals BJP’s aggressive campaign strategy. With elections looming, debates on delivery versus promises will dominate Tamil Nadu’s discourse, forcing voters to weigh the evidence.

Dinakaran didn’t hold back, claiming Stalin’s focus on positioning son Udhayanidhi as his successor has crippled effective governance. ‘Crime rates are soaring, law enforcement is in shambles, and economic relief is nowhere in sight—yet family promotion tops the agenda,’ he declared to roaring crowds.

This joint platform united key NDA figures including AIADMK’s Edappadi K. Palaniswami, PMK’s Anbumani Ramadoss, and TMC(M)’s G.K. Vasan, underscoring alliance solidarity ahead of the polls. Dinakaran praised PM Modi, now in his third term, for vowing to end Tamil Nadu’s ‘family-centric misrule’ and usher in an era of growth and safety.

Addressing AMMK’s alliance entry, he admitted historical frictions but affirmed the move was deliberate and principled. Drawing from J. Jayalalithaa’s teachings, Dinakaran stressed the duty to support or oppose based on public welfare, not personal ties.

The rally’s optics—NDA leaders converging under Modi’s leadership—portend a robust challenge to DMK’s hold. Analysts see this as a calculated bid to exploit anti-incumbency sentiments, positioning NDA as the beacon of clean, development-focused governance. Tamil Nadu’s electorate now watches closely as campaigns intensify.

Responding to Stalin’s claims that the SIR is a “BJP-backed conspiracy” to remove genuine voters, Annamalai stated that such accusations reveal a “hollow grasp of democratic procedures.” He reminded the public that electoral roll revisions are not a new phenomenon, citing 13 such exercises conducted between 1952 and 2004. Annamalai found it “surprising” that Stalin is now finding fault with this established process.

The BJP leader further recalled instances where the DMK itself had called for similar electoral roll revisions. He pointed to the DMK’s allegations in 2016 concerning 57.43 lakh bogus voters and their 2017 demand for a statewide revision, including Aadhaar linkage and door-to-door verification. Annamalai also mentioned that before the RK Nagar by-election, Stalin had petitioned the Madras High Court to remove names of deceased or relocated voters, stressing that “the sanctity of democracy depends on the integrity of the electoral roll.” He urged the DMK to remember its past positions and avoid “selective amnesia.”

Annamalai dismissed the idea that conducting the SIR during the monsoon season benefits the BJP. He defended the Election Commission as an “independent body that ensures transparency,” suggesting that questioning its processes “betrays insecurity.” As both the DMK and BJP intensify their pre-2026 Assembly election campaigns, the dispute over voter roll revisions is escalating political divisions in Tamil Nadu, focusing attention on electoral integrity and accountability.

This came to light ahead of CM M K Stalin unveiling the state budget and comes at a time when the use of regional languages in official communications and documentation has been a point of contention, with DMK calling out the imposition of Hindi over local languages.

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“We oppose NEP as it will completely destroy Tamil Nadu’s education growth,” Stalin said addressing the party rally to condemn the Centre.

“Now the PM Narendra Modi government has ensured that the exam can be written in Tamil too,” the home minister said, speaking at the 56th Raising Day of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) at RTC Thakkolam in this district, about 70 km from Chennai.

Further, praising Tamil Nadu, Shah said the southern state’s culture played a vital role in strengthening India’s cultural stream.

King Aditya Chola carved tales of bravery and sacrifice on this very land of Tamil Nadu and attained martyrdom, further strengthening the glorious traditions of the Chola empire, he said.

Talking about CISF, he said the force’ contribution is very important in achieving Prime Minister Modi’s resolve of making India the third largest economy of the world and also a developed nation by 2047.

“Whether it is the industrial development of the country, business or research institutes, their security cannot be imagined without CISF soldiers. It is the result of CISF’s unwavering loyalty and dedication that today the country is moving ahead safely in all these areas,” Shah said.

Writing to party workers as part of his series on the theme of “all-time opposition to Hindi imposition” Stalin said, Google Translate, Chat GPT and Artificial Intelligence help people overcome language issues and it would be beneficial for students to learn only necessary technology and imposing a language shall only be a burden to them.

The DMK chief said Gandhiji believed that people of southern states learning Hindi and those in northern states learning one of the southern languages would pave the way for national unity and the Dakshina Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha was founded to fulfil the wish of Father of the nation. “Gandhi himself had taken part in programmes in the sabha’s headquarters in Chennai. Now, the sabha is operational across southern states with 6,000 centres,” Stalin said.

Further, the chief minister, refraining from specifically naming anyone, posed whether an organisation like “Uttar Bharat Tamil Prachar Sabha or Dravida Basha Sabha” was established in north India to facilitate people of northern states to learn one of the languages of southern states.

Hitting out at BJP without naming it directly, the chief minister alleged that those who claimed to get installed a statue of saint poet Thiruvalluvar on the banks of River Ganga had it dumped on a garbage heap and wondered whether such people would set up an institution to propagate Tamil. “Those who follow the path of Godse will never fulfil the objectives of Gandhi.” Even during the bygone times of Madras province, Gandhiji was instrumental in the christening of provincial Congress party unit as Tamil Nadu Congress. “Even for trains being operated in Tamil Nadu, the BJP-led union government gave Hindi-Sanskrit names. It is their secret plan to destroy Tamil and other languages. It is the Dravidian movement that has the strength to openly oppose it.”

Dakshina Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha, declared by Parliament as an institution of national importance in 1964, was established in 1918 by Mahatma Gandhi with the aim of propagating Hindi in southern states and the first Pracharak was his son Devadoss Gandhi.

According to the DBHPS website, Gandhiji desired that the ‘Hindi Prachar’ in the south should be carried on by involving the local people of the respective area. Till 1920, the sabha had its office at George Town in the then Madras and after some years it was shifted to Mylapore and from there to Triplicane where it functioned till 1936. Now, the DBHPS functions from downtown T Nagar in Chennai.

“Is not the American President your friend? he asked and said PM Modi should have spoken on the issue with Trump. “What is the reason for your Indian national politics falling silent? Is it not clear that for the BJP, other than the goal of retaining power at the Centre, it does not have any other objective? The public meeting was held at Avadi near here on February 8 evening.