Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections: From Stalin MPs to EPS and Vijay; Key candidates to watch on May 4

As votes are counted on Monday, the political battle in Tamil Nadu will enter a decisive phase, with attention turning to whether the DMK can still maintain its grip on power. Artificial Intelligence ADMK A strong comeback or TVK manages to change the traditional equation in the state.Beyond individual contests, however, the election is being closely watched to understand how new political actors and coalition dynamics are reshaping traditional voting patterns. from the chief minister Stalin Defending his turf to an actor-turned-politician Tarapati Vijay Making his electoral debut, the 2026 elections are fraught with high-stakes fights across constituencies as AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palanisami struggles to regain influence.Here are the main candidates Senator Stalin: The chief minister is contesting in Korattur against AIADMK’s Santhana Krishnan in a contest that is closely watched. Kolattur has been a DMK stronghold since 2011, when Stalin was first elected.He retained this seat in both the 2016 and 2021 parliamentary elections. In 2021, he defeated AIADMK’s Aadhi Rajaram by a huge margin of about 1 lakh votes.Udayanidhi Stalin: Udhayanidhi Stalin, son of Stalin MP and Tamil Nadu deputy chief minister, is contesting from AIADMK’s Aadhi Rajaram in Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni. In 2021, he won the seat defeating PMK’s Kasali with 68.92% of the votes.In the run-up to the assembly elections, Udhayanidhi transformed from campaign spokesperson to key strategist and emerged as DMK’s youth outreach leader. His performance is closely watched as a gauge of his leadership and the party’s future direction.Tarapati Vijay: The actor-turned-politician made his election debut and was seen as the campaign’s biggest spoiler. He contested from Tiruchirappalli east and Perampur. His party was established in February 2024 and has fielded candidates in all 234 constituencies.Edappadi K. Palanisamy: The AIADMK leader is campaigning from Edappadi in Salem district. He has strengthened the party by bringing back former rivals including TTV Dhinakaran.This time, he has also forged a broader alliance that includes the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Janata Party, aiming to capitalize on the anti-incumbency movement against the DMK and regain lost ground.Oh Pannaselvam: He had been a close friend of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa and had allied with the DMK before the elections. He was elected by the ruling party from the Bodinaya Kanur constituency, where he had represented the constituency for several terms.Nainar Nagendran: The BJP state unit chief is contesting from Sattur. In 2021, he won from Tirunelveli assembly constituency.