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2026 TN elections | Congress names 27 candidates; Melur yet to be decided

The announcement was made by K C Venugopal, General Secretary of the AICC, as part of preparations for the high-stakes Assembly polls

DTNEXT Bureau

CHENNAI: After days of internal discussions, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) on Friday released its list of 27 candidates for the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.

Nearly a month after sealing its alliance with the DMK, the Congress released its list, leaving out Melur, just ahead of the April 6 nomination deadline.

TNCC president K Selvaperunthagai will once again contest from Sriperumbudur (SC), while Legislature Party leader S Rajesh Kumar has been renominated from Killiyoor. J M H Aassan Maulaana (Velachery) and Ruby Manoharan (Nanguneri) have also retained their seats.

At the same time, the party has introduced some fresh faces. G K M Tamil Kumaran, son of former PMK leader G K Mani, who recently joined the Congress, will contest from Pennagaram.

Youth Congress president K P Surya Prakash has been fielded from Kavundampalayam.

However, the absence of a candidate for Melur has raised questions, indicating that internal rifts may persist.

Party sources say differences remain within the leadership, particularly involving Karti Chidambaram’s camp, which is said to be pushing for a stronger presence in the Sivagangai region.

Earlier, the camp had sought the Sivagangai constituency instead of Melur, and the issue appears to have delayed a final decision.

The list covers several key constituencies across the State, including Ponneri, Krishnagiri, Erode (East), Udhagamandalam, Cuddalore, Karaikudi and Sivakasi.

List:

Ponneri (SC) – Durai Chandrasekar

Velachery – J M H Aassan Maulaana

Sriperumbudur (SC) – K Selvaperunthagai

Sholingur – A.M. Munirathnam

Uthangarai (SC) – R Kuppu Saamy

Krishnagiri – Dr A Chella Kumar

Pennagaram – G K M Tamil Kumaran

Attur (SC) – S K Arthanari

Erode (East) – Gopinath Palaniyappan

Udhagamandalam – B Ramachandran

Kavundampalayam – K P Surya Prakash

Singanallur – V Shrinithi Naidu

Thuraiyur (SC) – M Vichu Lenin Prasath

Cuddalore – A S Chandrasekaran

Mayiladuthurai – Jamal Yunus Mohammed

Aranthangi – T Rama Chandhiran

Karaikudi – S Mangudi

Usilampatti – T Saravana Kumar

Sivakasi – Ganesan Ashokan

Tiruvadana – Rama Karumanickam

Srivaikuntam – S Oorvashi Amirtharaj

Sankarankovil (SC) – Sangai Ganeshan

Ambasamudram – V P Durai

Nanguneri – Ruby Manoharan

Colachel – Dr Tharagai Cuthbert

Vilavancode – T T Praveen

Killiyoor – S Rajesh Kumar

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