Tamil Nadu Polls: BJP’s Nainar Nagendran Says DMK Aims to Make Udhayanidhi Stalin Chief Minister

Chennai: The war of words ahead of the Assembly election sharpened on Monday, with Tamil Nadu BJP president Nainar Nagendran accusing the ruling DMK of entering the fray with a single-minded objective — to elevate Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin to the top post.

Addressing reporters here, Nagendran said seat-sharing discussions within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) have not commenced and would begin only after the Election Commission announces the poll schedule. “There is no delay or confusion. The alliance understanding was arrived at earlier. What has happened now is only a meeting between two party leaders,” he said.

Referring to AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami’s recent visit to Delhi, the BJP leader maintained that details of the trip were known only to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Palaniswami. “Seat-sharing talks in the NDA have not yet begun. They will start only after the election dates are notified,” he reiterated.

Turning his fire on the DMK government, Nagendran painted a grim picture of the State’s law and order and social indicators. “Tamil Nadu has declined on all fronts. Students who should be holding books are found with narcotic substances. Women are unable to move about freely. The National Commission for Women has said that 50 per cent of women in the State feel unsafe. Tamil Nadu records the highest number of suicides in the country,” he alleged.

The BJP leader claimed that the ruling party was marshalling “official power and financial muscle” across constituencies in preparation for the polls. “They are contesting this election to make Udhayanidhi Stalin the Chief Minister. They may deploy authority and money power everywhere. But greater than all that is the strength of the people. This election will prove that,” he said.

His remarks come amid heightened speculation over alliance configurations and leadership projections in the run-up to the Assembly contest. While the DMK has so far maintained that it is focused on governance and welfare delivery, the Opposition has sought to frame the election as a referendum on dynastic succession.

With formal seat negotiations yet to begin, as per the BJP’s own account, political attention is likely to shift to New Delhi in the coming days, even as parties in Tamil Nadu ready their ground machinery for what promises to be a keenly fought battle.