<p>Chennai: Tamil Nadu’s ruling DMK on Saturday renominated a majority of its incumbent legislators, including Chief Minister M K Stalin, his deputy Udhayanidhi, and their cabinet colleagues, for the April 23 assembly elections, while giving tickets to about 60 new faces, including those who have worked at the grassroots level.</p><p>DMK nominees will contest in 164 seats and another 11 candidates on the party’s Rising Sun symbol, taking the number to 175. Alliance partners will contest the remaining 59 seats. </p><p>One of the most surprising elements in the list was fielding former minister and Karur MLA V Senthil Balaji from the prestigious Coimbatore (South), in a bid to take the battle into the AIADMK-BJP bastion. In the 2021 elections, the DMK failed to win any of the 10 seats in Coimbatore district while it won majorly across the state. Balaji contesting from the industrial capital of Tamil Nadu might have ripple effects in the region, which has favoured the AIADMK in assembly elections. </p>.Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections 2026 | AIADMK steals a march over DMK in campaign, despite trailing on perception.<p>Stalin denied opportunity only to three sitting ministers, while he renominated the rest, including the 87-year-old Durai Murugan, K K S S R Ramachandran (77), K N Nehru and I Periyasamy (both 73) from the Old Guard of the DMK. He also renominated about 100 of the 126 MLAs. Interestingly, O Panneerselvam, R Vaithilingam, and P H Manoj Pandian, expelled AIADMK leaders who recently joined the DMK, have been fielded from Bodinayakanur, Orathanadu, and Alangulam. </p><p>Ministers P T R Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, Thangam Thenarasu, T R B Raaja, P K Sekarbabu, Geetha Jeevan, Anitha R Radhakrishnan, and T M Anbarasu were renominated from their respective constituencies. Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, who reportedly expressed interest in contesting the assembly elections, did not figure in the list. </p><p>The youngest candidate announced by the party is Dr Kokila Mani, a 26-year-old doctor, contesting from Avinashi. </p><p>Stalin refused tickets for five sitting MLAs in Chennai, while he retained R D Sekar in Perambur, where Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay is expected to contest. Udhayanidhi managed to get seats for two of his lieutenants – N Chitrarasu and Raja Anbazhagan – in Chennai, while the DMK’s prominent face on television debates, Tamilan Prasanna, will be the candidate from Egmore. </p><p>As many as 60 new faces, including union Secretaries & ground workers elevated – of the 164 candidates, 18 are women, 29 lawyers, 17 engineers, 15 doctors, and 7 Ph.Ds. </p><p>Stalin also made some changes by shifting I P Senthil Kumar from Palani to Dindigul where he will face AIADMK veteran C Sreenivasan, while he fielded former MP DNV Senthil Kumar S from Palacode constituency held by AIADMK strongman K P Anbazhagan.</p><p>Former minister K Ponmudy, a close confidante of Stalin, was replaced with his son Gautam Sigamani and incumbent Handlooms Minister R Gandhi bowed out of the race while securing a seat for his son, Vinod Gandhi.</p>
<p>Chennai: Tamil Nadu’s ruling DMK on Saturday renominated a majority of its incumbent legislators, including Chief Minister M K Stalin, his deputy Udhayanidhi, and their cabinet colleagues, for the April 23 assembly elections, while giving tickets to about 60 new faces, including those who have worked at the grassroots level.</p><p>DMK nominees will contest in 164 seats and another 11 candidates on the party’s Rising Sun symbol, taking the number to 175. Alliance partners will contest the remaining 59 seats. </p><p>One of the most surprising elements in the list was fielding former minister and Karur MLA V Senthil Balaji from the prestigious Coimbatore (South), in a bid to take the battle into the AIADMK-BJP bastion. In the 2021 elections, the DMK failed to win any of the 10 seats in Coimbatore district while it won majorly across the state. Balaji contesting from the industrial capital of Tamil Nadu might have ripple effects in the region, which has favoured the AIADMK in assembly elections. </p>.Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections 2026 | AIADMK steals a march over DMK in campaign, despite trailing on perception.<p>Stalin denied opportunity only to three sitting ministers, while he renominated the rest, including the 87-year-old Durai Murugan, K K S S R Ramachandran (77), K N Nehru and I Periyasamy (both 73) from the Old Guard of the DMK. He also renominated about 100 of the 126 MLAs. Interestingly, O Panneerselvam, R Vaithilingam, and P H Manoj Pandian, expelled AIADMK leaders who recently joined the DMK, have been fielded from Bodinayakanur, Orathanadu, and Alangulam. </p><p>Ministers P T R Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, Thangam Thenarasu, T R B Raaja, P K Sekarbabu, Geetha Jeevan, Anitha R Radhakrishnan, and T M Anbarasu were renominated from their respective constituencies. Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, who reportedly expressed interest in contesting the assembly elections, did not figure in the list. </p><p>The youngest candidate announced by the party is Dr Kokila Mani, a 26-year-old doctor, contesting from Avinashi. </p><p>Stalin refused tickets for five sitting MLAs in Chennai, while he retained R D Sekar in Perambur, where Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay is expected to contest. Udhayanidhi managed to get seats for two of his lieutenants – N Chitrarasu and Raja Anbazhagan – in Chennai, while the DMK’s prominent face on television debates, Tamilan Prasanna, will be the candidate from Egmore. </p><p>As many as 60 new faces, including union Secretaries & ground workers elevated – of the 164 candidates, 18 are women, 29 lawyers, 17 engineers, 15 doctors, and 7 Ph.Ds. </p><p>Stalin also made some changes by shifting I P Senthil Kumar from Palani to Dindigul where he will face AIADMK veteran C Sreenivasan, while he fielded former MP DNV Senthil Kumar S from Palacode constituency held by AIADMK strongman K P Anbazhagan.</p><p>Former minister K Ponmudy, a close confidante of Stalin, was replaced with his son Gautam Sigamani and incumbent Handlooms Minister R Gandhi bowed out of the race while securing a seat for his son, Vinod Gandhi.</p>