Chennai, Jan 4 (IANS) The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) has formally shifted into election mode ahead of the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, unveiling an extensive roadmap for manifesto preparation and candidate selection.
According to a statement issued by the party, a 10-member manifesto committee will begin a statewide tour from January 7 to hold consultations with the public and various stakeholder groups.
The tour, scheduled to run until January 20, will cover all five zones of the State and span all 38 districts, reflecting the party's attempt to craft a broad-based and regionally responsive election manifesto.
The manifesto committee, headed by senior leader Natham R. Viswanathan, includes prominent party functionaries C. Ponnaiyan, Pollachi V. Jayaraman, D. Jayakumar, C. Ve. Shanmugham, S. Semmalai, P. Valarmathi, O.S. Manian, R.B. Udhayakumar, and S.S. Vaigai Selvan.
The panel held its first meeting at the party headquarters earlier this week, where it finalised the framework and schedule for the statewide outreach programme.
During the tour, committee members are expected to meet representatives from farmers' groups, traders, women's organisations, youth bodies, professionals, and other sections of society to solicit suggestions and policy inputs.
Party sources said these views would form the backbone of the AIADMK's manifesto, which is aimed at positioning the party as a credible alternative to the ruling DMK.
Parallel to the manifesto exercise, the party leadership will commence interviews of ticket aspirants from January 9.
The AIADMK has received a substantial response from aspirants, with as many as 7,988 applications submitted by individuals seeking Assembly tickets.
In addition, 2,187 applications were reportedly submitted by party functionaries on behalf of AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami, urging him to contest from their respective constituencies.
Announcing the formation of the manifesto committee last week, Palaniswami said the panel would engage directly with the public to understand ground-level concerns and aspirations before finalising the party's vision document for the 2026 polls. He added that the detailed tour programme would be released shortly.
As the principal Opposition party in Tamil Nadu, the AIADMK's early start to manifesto drafting and candidate screening signals an aggressive and structured approach to the upcoming Assembly election battle.
--IANS
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