2026 TN elections | No Stalin-Rahul joint campaign, says DMK

CHENNAI: The DMK on Friday ruled out the possibility of a joint campaign by its president MK Stalin and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for the ongoing Assembly election.

Party organising secretary RS Bharathi said both leaders have pre-scheduled engagements, making it difficult to coordinate a joint appearance.

“Our leader does not have time. He will be campaigning in his own constituency on April 20 and 21. There is no scope for altering existing schedules. However, both leaders will campaign separately for the alliance,” Bharathi said.

He reiterated that despite the absence of a joint rally, both leaders remain committed to the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) and would campaign for alliance candidates.

Meanwhile, Bharathi levelled allegations against industrialist Sridhar Vembu, claiming that funds were being routed to BJP candidates through various means. Referring to a reported seizure of Rs. 70 lakh, he said the DMK had filed a complaint with the Election Commission of India (ECI).

The party also alleged that the BJP was collecting details of candidates in connection with the distribution of Rs. 10,000 “model tokens”, and urged the ECI to take appropriate action on the matter.