CHENNAI: AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Thursday criticised the TVK government over power outages across the State, alleging that it had failed to plan for the growing electricity demand.

In a statement, Palaniswami said unannounced power cuts were affecting households, small industries, farmers and students across the State.

He said residents were facing difficulties due to prolonged disruptions, with temperatures crossing 40 degrees Celsius in several districts.

The AIADMK leader also claimed that people were reporting late-night power cuts and questioned whether the government had made adequate preparations to meet future electricity demand, which he said could reach 23,013 MW in 2026-27.

"Electricity is the lifeline of a State's growth, industry, education, agriculture, employment and daily life," Palaniswami said, urging the government to ensure an uninterrupted power supply.

He further said the public was unconvinced by claims that incidents such as theft of fuse carriers were responsible for widespread disruptions.

Palaniswami demanded that the government release district-wise data on electricity demand, generation and procurement, and take immediate measures to prevent further power outages.