‘Don’t go on foreign tour’: Stalin directs DMK ministers, MLAs to remain in their constituencies till elections

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has issued a strict directive to all DMK ministers, MLAs and district secretaries, barring them from foreign travel until the completion of the 2026 assembly elections, media reports said on Tuesday.

 

Stalin’s instruction came after an internal review of the party’s grassroots preparedness revealed that many of the welfare schemes launched in the last four-and-a-half years have not been effectively communicated to the public.

 

The DMK president has been conducting one-on-one meetings with constituency-level administrators at the party headquarters in Chennai over the past several weeks. He has met more than 150 constituency in-charges so far, according to an IANS report.

 

“The surveys indicate that the public’s connection with the DMK has weakened because MLAs and local administrators have not actively engaged with the people,” a senior party functionary told the news agency.

 

As per the report, the chief minister is concerned that several ministers and MLAs have become distanced from party cadres and the public. He also feels that the legislators are not fully aware of the real expectations of the people across Tamil Nadu, as quoted by a party source.

 

The DMK chief now wants all the party MLAs to focus on their constituencies, to meet people personally and address their grievances. Ministers will be allowed to travel abroad only for official purposes, and that too, after obtaining prior permission from the party leadership.

 

Elections to the 234-member assembly are expected to be held in April-May 2026. The DMK, which bagged 133 seats in the previous polls, is keen on retaining power even as the political equations in the state have seen a major shift after the entry of actor-politician Vijay-led TVK.

 

India