Ramanathapuram (Tamil Nadu)[India], March 5 (ANI): With the election campaign in Tamil Nadu gathering momentum, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has begun innovative grassroots outreach efforts in several parts of the state.

The campaign was held in Dadhanendal village under Thirupullani Union on Thursday. District Art and Literature Wing Deputy Organiser and film actor Rajendran dressed up as Karuppasami, a revered folk deity in Tamil Nadu, to connect with residents while seeking support for the party.

With the guise of a modern Karuppasami, Rajendran is playing the drums and informing every house about the welfare schemes of the Tamil Nadu government and its benefits, the schemes given by the Tamil Nadu government and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin to every family, according to the festival.

During the outreach, residents were informed about the benefits provided under different government initiatives and the schemes implemented by the administration led by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin. Party workers also encouraged people to check whether members of their families had benefited from these schemes.

As part of the campaign, the DMK women's team appealed to voters to support party candidate Kadhar Badsha Muthuramalingam in the Ramanathapuram Assembly constituency. They urged residents to cast their votes in favour of the party under its 'Udayasuriyan' (Rising Sun) symbol in the upcoming polls.

Thirupulani West Union Secretary Udayakumar and the DMK women's team also participated.

The 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly will go to the polls in the first half of 2026, where the incumbent MK Stalin-led Secular Progressive Alliance will look to win against the BJP-AIADMK-led NDA. Actor-turned-politician Vijay's entry with his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) is expected to turn the Tamil Nadu polls into a three-way contest.

In the 2021 polls, the DMK won 133 seats in the 2021 Assembly polls. Congress won 18, PMK won five, VCK won four, and others won eight seats. The Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA), led by DMK, which consisted of Congress, won 159 seats collectively.

While the NDA won 75 seats, the AIADMK emerged as the largest party in the alliance with 66 seats. (ANI)