AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami.
Credit: PTI Photo
Chennai: Taking the lead, the AIADMK on Saturday announced the first set of promises for the 2026 assembly elections which includes Rs 2,000 monthly assistance to all ration-card holding families, free travel for men and women in town buses, and increasing the number of working days under rural employment scheme from 125 to 150 days.
Choosing the birth anniversary of AIADMK founder M G Ramachandran to announce five promises, party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Saturday said the manifesto is aimed at putting women-first, and making people-centric promises rooted in welfare, dignity, and economic justice.
“These promises reflect the AIADMK’s legacy of governance that puts people first. Our focus is on empowering women, strengthening livelihoods, ensuring housing for all, and restoring dignity to labour,” Palaniswami said.
Christened as Kulavilakku Scheme, Palaniswami said AIADMK will provide Rs 2,000 per month to all ration card–holding families and that the assistance will be directly credited to the bank account of the woman head of the household. The Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam being implemented by the DMK government provides Rs 1,000 monthly assistance to about 1.31 crore women and the AIADMK is enhancing it by Rs 1,000 and extending it to all ration-card holders.
Other schemes are extending free bus travel to men travelling in city buses, while continuing the existing free bus travel scheme for women, build and allot apartments in urban areas for those without homes and provide separate concrete houses for Scheduled Caste families when sons establish independent households after marriage.
Raising the number of employment days from 125 to 150 days under the rural employment scheme, and Rs 25,000 subsidy to 5 lakh women to buy two-wheelers are the other schemes promised by the AIADMK.
“The AIADMK will present a comprehensive vision for Tamil Nadu, one that restores good governance, protects the vulnerable, and delivers real outcomes, not empty slogans,” Palaniswami asserted.
Responding to criticism that the new schemes announced by the AIADMK would put additional burden on the exchequer and force the state government to borrow more, the former chief minister said any kind of promises cannot be implemented without problems through prudent administrative measures.
This is the first time that the AIADMK has made election promises even before the announcement of the poll schedule. Sources said the promises are aimed at keeping the party ahead in the perception battle ahead of the assembly elections.
In its reaction, the DMK said the AIADMK has merely “pasted stickers” on the schemes of the DMK-led M K Stalin government.