Stalin, Vijay and other leaders file nominations as ECI issues Assembly election notification

DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and Tamilaga  Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president C. Joseph Vijay were among the leaders who filed nominations on Monday (March 30, 2026), after the Election Commission of India (ECI) issued the official notification for the April 23 Assembly election in Tamil Nadu.

Mr. Stalin submitted his papers to the Returning Officer for the Kolathur  constituency. Senior DMK leader and Minister P.K. Sekarbabu and senior advocates R. Shunmugasundaram, R. Viduthalai, and N.R. Elango  accompanied Mr. Stalin.

Mr. Vijay, who is making his debut in electoral politics, filed his nomination for Perambur. DMK principal secretary and Minister K.N. Nehru filed his nomination for Tiruchi West and TVK leader K.A.  Sengottaiyan for Gobichettipalayam.

Naam Tamilar Katchi leader Seeman filed his nomination for Karaikudi.

As of 8.45 p.m. Monday, the details of over 560 nominations (some candidates have filed multiple nominations) were uploaded on the ECI portal.

Officials trained in duties

An official release from Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik said a total of 3,32,231 officials were trained in subjects related to duties, roles, and responsibilities of presiding officers and polling officials.

The ECI has enhanced the remuneration for the presiding officers, the polling officers, the counting personnel, and micro-observers. The remuneration for a presiding officer has been revised from ₹1,700 to ₹3,000 and for a polling officer, it has been increased from ₹1,300 to ₹2,600. For a counting supervisor, it has been revised from ₹850 to ₹1,500, for a counting assistant, from ₹650 to ₹1,400, and for a micro-observer, from ₹1,000 to ₹2,000.

‘Greater support’

After filing his nomination, Mr. Stalin said he was witnessing greater support than in the previous three elections he had won in Kolathur. “It is a battle between Tamil Nadu and Delhi. It is going to be a big victory to save Tamil Nadu,” he said.

Later, at an interaction with the alliance partners at the DMK  headquarters, Anna Arivalayam, Mr. Stalin said the DMK-led alliance was not a new formation but one that had already contested in two Lok  Sabha elections, an Assembly election, local bodies elections, and by-elections. “It is a mega alliance. Nowhere in India is such an alliance continuing for so many years. Now, some more parties have joined our alliance,” he said.