Udhayanidhi Stalin says DMK Youth Wing key to 2026 victory

Tiruvannamalai (Tamil Nadu) [India], December 15 (ANI): DMK Youth Wing Secretary and Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on Sunday asserted that the disciplined and ideologically driven Youth Wing of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) would play a decisive role in securing the party's return to power in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
Addressing the DMK Northern Zone Youth Wing Administrators' Conference in Tiruvannamalai, Udhayanidhi described the Youth Wing as the party's strongest organisational pillar and expressed pride in meeting thousands of administrators from across the region. He recalled that the second State-level Youth Wing conference held in Salem two years ago was followed by the DMK's emphatic victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, and said the massive turnout at Tiruvannamalai signalled a similar outcome in the 2026 Assembly polls.
Highlighting the organisational strength of the Youth Wing, he said it had been built up to the booth level, with administrators appointed at district, city, union, town, ward and booth levels. Around 1.30 lakh Youth Wing administrators from 91 Assembly constituencies participated in the conference, he noted, pointing out that while many parties struggle to enrol members, the DMK has created a robust grassroots structure.
Udhayanidhi stressed that the gathering was not meant to showcase numbers but to reinforce ideology and discipline. "Whether it is one lakh or one crore cadres, without discipline nothing useful will come out of it," he said, adding that the DMK Youth Wing stood as proof that discipline and ideology could go together.
Describing the BJP as being driven by religious fanaticism, he said the "ankush" to control it in Tamil Nadu lay firmly with Chief Minister M.K. Stalin. He also accused the BJP of attempting to enter the State by misusing central agencies and aligning with subservient forces, while taking a swipe at the AIADMK by likening it to a car without an engine.
Calling upon Youth Wing administrators to intensify grassroots outreach ahead of 2026, Udhayanidhi urged them to engage young voters, highlight the achievements of the Dravidian Model government and work booth by booth. If this was done sincerely, he said, the DMK would form the government for the seventh time, with M.K. Stalin returning as Chief Minister for a second consecutive term. (ANI)