Tamil Nadu 2026: Udhayanidhi files from Chepauk, Vijay from Trichy East — the star candidates are in
DMK's heir apparent and actor-turned-politician Vijay have both filed nominations. The three-way fight between DMK, AIADMK, and TVK is fully set. Here's what the constituency map looks like.
Tamil Nadu’s assembly election campaign moved into its formal phase on Thursday as key candidates filed their nominations ahead of the April 9 polling date. Udhayanidhi Stalin, son of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and the DMK’s most prominent young face, filed his papers from the Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni constituency in Chennai — a seat that carries symbolic weight as a DMK stronghold in the heart of the city.
The day’s other headline filing came from Joseph Vijay, the film actor who launched Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) in 2024 and has spent the past 18 months positioning it as a credible third force in Tamil politics. Vijay filed from Trichy East, a constituency in central Tamil Nadu where he has invested heavily in ground organisation. His candidacy is being watched closely not because TVK is expected to win a large number of seats, but because its vote share in competitive constituencies could determine margins in a three-way race.
The fundamental contest remains DMK versus AIADMK, with Edappadi K. Palaniswami leading the AIADMK charge against the incumbent DMK government. Pre-poll surveys have consistently shown the DMK ahead on vote share, with its welfare delivery record — particularly the free bus travel for women and breakfast scheme for school children — translating into genuine voter loyalty in key segments.
The BJP’s NDA, allied with small parties, is contesting a limited number of seats and is not expected to win significantly but could influence outcomes in close fights. The Kamal Haasan-led MNM has similarly been unable to build the organisational base needed to convert media presence into seats.
Counting is scheduled for May 4. Tamil Nadu’s 234-seat assembly and its significance for national coalition arithmetic — the state sends 39 Lok Sabha members — means the outcome will be closely watched in Delhi regardless of which party wins.
