CHENNAI: After months of uncertainty among the ranks, the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has stepped up its Assembly election preparations. It is now moving to finalise candidates for all 234 constituencies and rolling out plans for a series of conferences and large public meetings.
Party sources said the exercise to identify prospective candidates across constituencies has entered its final phase, with the consolidated list expected to be submitted to party president Vijay within the next 10 days.
"Candidate selection has been under way for several months and has now reached the concluding stage. The final decision will rest with Vijay," a senior TVK functionary told DT Next.
Aspirants were required to submit detailed applications, answering questions on their personal standing in the constituency, the party's support base, and their reasons for seeking a ticket. Committees formed to monitor district units and party work have, over the past month, carried out background verification and constituency-level assessments, insiders said.
While party general secretary N Anand is coordinating the selection process, sources underlined that Vijay alone would take the final call on candidates. "The leadership is keeping all options open. If an alliance does not take shape, the party is prepared to contest all 234 seats independently," a party insider said.
Alongside candidate finalisation, TVK is firming up its public outreach strategy ahead of the polls. The party plans to hold a major conference before the elections, to be followed by three large public meetings. Alternatively, if the conference plan is deferred, the leadership is considering five massive zonal public meetings, one each in the north, south, east, west and central regions of Tamil Nadu.
All programmes will be led by Vijay, who has already held discussions with the election campaign committee on the format and sequencing of the events, say sources. Two conferences have earlier been organised at Vikravandi and Madurai's Parapathi, and the party is now weighing another large-scale mobilisation to consolidate momentum.
"The idea is to bring clarity to cadres and convey that the party is fully geared up for the elections," the functionary said, adding that the planned events would counter negative perceptions and false narratives around the party's preparedness.
The intensified organisational activity coincides with TVK preparing to mark its second anniversary and the start of its third year on February 2, a date the leadership sees as a key milestone ahead of a full-fledged election campaign.