CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president M. K. Stalin on Monday filed his nomination from the Kolathur Assembly constituency in Chennai.
After filing his papers, Stalin expressed confidence that voters would give him a fourth consecutive victory in the Kolathur segment.
The DMK chief declared assets worth 6.26 crores including movable assets worth Rs 3.30 crore and immovable assets worth Rs 2.96 crores. His wife Durgavathi Stalin has movable assets worth Rs 1.32 crores and immovable asset worth Rs 2.11 crores.
Launching his election campaign shortly after filing noimination, Stalin briefly held a road show and waved to the people and sought support.
"I am witnessing a huge support. Compared to the previous three occasions I am sure this time my margin of victory will be huge due to the massive support from the people," Stalin told reporters.
The DMK would win over 200 seats, he said and added that as in the previous election, the party's campaign will be very effective.
"We had set a target of winning 200 seats for this election. But, after releasing the election manifesto yesterday, we have got confidence that we will get over 200 seats," Stalin told reporters in Kolathur, adding that the fight is between Tamil Nadu and Delhi.
The DMK chief also released a book on his achivements for the Kolathur constituency.
Stalin had successfully contested polls from Kolathur constituency in 2011, 2016 and 2021 Assembly elections.
Later in the evening, Stalin met DMK alliance partners at Anna Arivalayam to discuss the poll strategy.
"The alliance formed for the ensuing assembly election is not something new. For the past two Lok Sabha elections, one assembly election and local body election, we have been contesting together. So far, not just in Tamil Nadu, even at the national level, our Secular Progressive Alliance is the longest continuing alliance. And it is appreciable,” he said, while addressing the alliance party leaders.
According to sources, Stalin has conveyed to the alliance partners that he had warned DMK district secretaries that they would remain in their respective posts only if the alliance party candidates win the election.
"He also asked the alliance party leaders to reach out to the war room set up at Anna Arivalayam in case of any trouble on the ground," the source said.
Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K Selvaperunthagai recalled the 1996 election and said that the DMK-led alliance would sweep the elections in a similar way.
CPM State secretary P Shanmugam said that the aim was to win all the 234 constituencies across the State.
"Although our alliance had been called a secular progressive alliance, now it has become a mega secular progressive alliance," he said.