M.K. Stalin, president of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), constituted a committee of senior party leaders and youth‑wing secretary Udhayanidhi Stalin to recommend organisational changes ahead of the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. He also announced a Coordination Committee for the 2026 elections that includes senior leaders and state ministers K.N. Nehru, E.V. Velu, Thangam Thennarasu and others. The DMK and its allies won 39 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu and the lone Puducherry constituency in the 2024 general election.

Stalin said a party panel set up ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls performed “pretty well.” He and Udhayanidhi Stalin described the ruling TVK government’s administration as facing difficulties with power cuts, water shortages and rising crime, and said the Tamil Nadu Assembly had become a “film shooting spot.” They also said the chief minister was “prioritizing optics over governance.”

According to The Hindu, Stalin and Kanimozhi condemned the arrest of a DMK cadre who had protested against Tamil Nadu Minister Sarathkumar. The same outlet reported that the DMK president said Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay’s use of the phrases “fake image” and “intimidating opposition parties” would not last long. According to the Times of India, Udhayanidhi and M.K. Stalin said “People are searching for governance” while stepping up their attack on Chief Minister Vijay.