2026 TN elections | AIADMK finds Chennai slots hard to fill, yet to name 12 candidates

CHENNAI: The delay in announcing candidates for several Chennai constituencies by the AIADMK has brought renewed focus on the capabilities of its district secretaries, particularly in the backdrop of its underperformance in the city in the 2021 Assembly elections.

Of the 16 Assembly constituencies in Chennai, three have been allotted to alliance partners, the BJP, AMMK and PMK, leaving 13 seats for the AIADMK to contest. In the first phase of its candidate list, the party named former Minister D Jayakumar as its nominee from Royapuram. However, even after releasing the second phase of candidates, the party is yet to finalise nominees for the remaining 12 constituencies in the city.

Party sources attribute the delay to internal dynamics, particularly the dominant role of district secretaries. The AIADMK’s Chennai unit is divided into eight districts, each headed by a district secretary who wields considerable influence over local party affairs. With the Assembly election approaching, these functionaries are said to be lobbying the leadership to secure tickets for themselves or their supporters.

The issue is compounded by the party’s lacklustre performance in Chennai in both the 2016 and 2021 Assembly elections, where it failed to register significant victories. The ineffective functioning of district-level leadership has been cited as one of the reasons for the poor showing.

The BJP, which had reportedly sought a larger share in Chennai, was allocated only one seat, reflecting the constraints faced by the AIADMK leadership. Amid these developments, questions are being raised over whether the same district leadership, which struggled to deliver results in previous elections, can improve the party’s prospects in the 2026 polls.