EPS Alleges DMK Used ‘Ungaludan Stalin’ Scheme for Voter Enrolment

Swift Summary

• Leader of Opposition and AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami criticized the DMK goverment’s Ungaludan Stalin Scheme (USS),accusing it of being a tactic to enroll voters as DMK members ahead of the 2026 assembly elections.
• Speaking during his State-wide tour in Tiruvannamalai, Mr. Palaniswami alleged that the ruling party had resorted to door-to-door campaigns for membership drives.
• He accused DMK of attempting and failing to split AIADMK after their return to power in may 2021,attributing this failure to strong support from his party cadre.
• The AIADMK leader highlighted a key achievement from his tenure: introducing a 7.5% internal reservation in undergraduate medical admissions for poor government school students,under which 2,818 students are allegedly pursuing MBBS currently.
• He compared this with what he termed frivolous initiatives by the DMK government such as car races and plans for constructing a sea-based PEN memorial using public funds.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The allegations made by Mr. Palaniswami reflect heightened political tensions as Tamil Nadu gears up for an election cycle over the next few years. His critique resonates primarily with two narratives: one framing DMK’s voter outreach efforts as politically opportunistic and another emphasizing AIADMK’s achievements like internal medical reservation reforms that target socio-economic upliftment.

On governance optics, contrasting substantive policies with symbolic or recreational ones-like car races or memorials-seems aimed at invoking concerns among taxpayers about fiscal priorities. However,claims around splits within AIADMK appear defensive amid reports of intra-party challenges since losing power in 2021.

for Tamil Nadu’s electorate, such debates may sharpen focus on differentiating grassroots progress initiatives from populist strategies in addressing critical issues like education equity or economic resource allocation.

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