AIADMK Announces Candidates for Tamil Nadu State Assembly Elections
Candidates Released for Upcoming Polls
On March 25, 2026, the AIADMK, the main opposition party in Tamil Nadu, unveiled its initial list of 23 candidates for the upcoming State Assembly elections. Party leader Edappadi K Palaniswami is set to run for election from his home constituency of Edappadi.
The elections will take place on April 23, with the aim of electing 234 members to the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly. Counting of the votes is scheduled for May 4.
Key Figures in the Candidate List
The AIADMK is leading the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the state and has retained several senior figures in its candidate roster. Notable leaders such as KP Munusamy, Dindigul C Sreenivasan, and Natham R. Viswanathan are included in this initial list.
Additionally, prominent candidates like SP Velumani and P Thangamani have been nominated from Thondamuthur and Kumarapalayam, respectively.
Full List of AIADMK Candidates
The full list of candidates released by the AIADMK is as follows:
Edappadi K Palaniswami — Edappadi
C. Vijayabaskar — Viralimalai
M.R. Vijayabaskar — Karur
S.P. Velumani — Thondamuthur
D. Jayakumar — Royapuram
Natham R. Viswanathan — Natham
P. Thangamani — Kumarapalayam
C.Ve. Shanmugam — Mailam
Sellur K. Raju — Madurai West
K.P. Anbazhagan — Palacode
R. Kamaraj — Nannilam
O.S. Manian — Vedaranyam
C. Vijayabaskar — Viralimalai
Kadambur C. Raju — Kovilpatti
R.B. Udhayakumar — Tirumangalam
K.T. Rajenthra Bhalaji — Sivakasi
P. Benjamin — Maduravoyal
Agri S.S. Krishnamurthy — Kalasapakkam
V.V. Rajan Chellappa — Tirupparankundram
K.C. Karuppannan — Bhavani
K.C. Veeramani — Jolarpet
M.R. Vijayabaskar — Karur
S. Rajendran — Ariyalur
Electoral Landscape in Tamil Nadu
The upcoming Tamil Nadu elections are shaping up to be a competitive three-way contest involving the DMK-led alliance, the AIADMK-BJP coalition, and actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).
In the previous elections held in 2021, the Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA), led by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), secured a significant victory, winning 159 seats. The DMK itself achieved an absolute majority by claiming 133 constituencies, marking a notable success after 25 years. The NDA, anchored by the AIADMK, was able to win 75 seats, with AIADMK candidates securing 66 of those victories.
