Kanimozhi Karunanidhi.
Credit: DH Photo
Chennai: Taking the lead among political parties in Tamil Nadu, the ruling DMK on Wednesday constituted a 12-member committee under the leadership of its woman face Kanimozhi Karunanidhi to prepare the election manifesto for the 2026 assembly elections.
Besides politicians, the committee has a retired bureaucrat and CEO of a SaaS (Software as a Service) company based out of Chennai. The announcement of the constitution of the committee was made by DMK general secretary Durai Murugan.
Tamil Nadu IT Minister P T R Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, who held the crucial finance portfolio for two years, Industries Minister T R B Raaja, Higher Education Minister Govi Chezhian, senior leader T K S Elangovan, former Rajya Sabha MP M M Abdullah, spokesperson Constantine Ravindran, and MLA Ezhilan are part of the committee.
DMK environment wing secretary Karthikeya Sivasenapathy, legislator Tamilarasi Ravikumar, former IAS G Santhanam, and KissFlow CEO Suresh Sambandan are the other members of the committee.
This is the second time that Kanimozhi is chairing the manifesto committee after the 2024 Lok Sabha in which the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance won all 39 seats in Tamil Nadu. The announcement also showed that Kanimozhi continues to get importance in the DMK under her half-brother Stalin, even as his son Udhayanidhi has climbed the ladder quite fast.
Sources said the group includes three PhD holders, one professor, one doctor, one retired IAS officer, and one entrepreneur, and two women.
“The committee will tour across Tamil Nadu, meet various stakeholders, and prepare the DMK's election manifesto for the 2026 assembly elections. They will hold detailed discussions to ensure that views of every section of the society are heard,” a DMK leader told DH.
DMK has become the first political party in Tamil Nadu to constitute a committee for manifesto, which is an important document. DMK’s poll promises made in 2006 (colour television) and Rs 1,000 as monthly assistance for women made in 2021 are said to have played a major role in the party’s victory in the elections.
“The party always gives utmost importance to the manifesto. We meet people to understand their aspirations and get ideas from them. We will tour the state for about two months before sitting down to prepare the document,” the leader added.
The DMK attaches utmost importance to the 2026 elections as the party feels it has a “real chance” of coming to power for a successive term in 2026.