After BJP, Congress Releases List of Candidates Contesting in Tamil Nadu Elections

The Indian National Congress (INC) on Thursday released its full list of 28 candidates for the April 23 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, a day after the BJP announced its slate of 27 nominees. The Congress list, finalised by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in consultation with Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president K. Selvaperunthagai, covers the seats allotted to the party under the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA). Party sources said the list includes a mix of sitting legislators, senior leaders, and fresh faces, with a focus on strengthening urban and northern Tamil Nadu pockets where the alliance sees potential gains.

Congress has been allotted 28 constituencies as part of the seat-sharing arrangement with the DMK, which released its own list of 164 candidates last week. The BJP, contesting as part of the AIADMK-led alliance, had unveiled its 27-candidate list late on Wednesday evening, naming several state unit office-bearers and new entrants in southern and western districts.

Key Congress candidates

Sriperumbudur (SC): K. Selvaperunthagai, TNCC president and a three-time legislator, will seek re-election from the high-profile constituency on the outskirts of Chennai.

Erode East: Senior leader and former Union minister E.V.K.S. Elangovan has been fielded to consolidate Congress’s traditional support base in the textile belt.

Ponneri (SC): A. Tamizharasi, a former MLA and known grassroots worker, has been given the ticket.

Udhagamandalam: G. Ganesh, the sitting legislator, has been renominated to retain the party’s foothold in the Nilgiris.

Sholinghur: S. Rajesh, a young leader from the Vellore region, makes his debut.

Mayiladuthurai: K. R. S. Elango, a former district president, will contest.

Other notable names include candidates in Cuddalore, Aranthangi, and select seats in Coimbatore and Tirunelveli districts. The list features seven women candidates and four from the SC/ST categories, reflecting the party’s emphasis on inclusive representation. TNCC president K. Selvaperunthagai told reporters in Chennai, “This is a list of fighters. Every candidate has been chosen for their ability to deliver victory for the alliance. Under the leadership of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, the SPA will once again prove that secular and progressive politics is what Tamil Nadu wants.”

The Congress release comes at a time when both national parties are racing to catch up with the DMK and AIADMK, which have already kicked off aggressive ground campaigns. Nominations for the single-phase polls are expected to begin next week, and the Congress high command is understood to have cleared the list after marathon deliberations in New Delhi on Tuesday. Political observers noted that the BJP’s list, released barely 24 hours earlier, had already triggered speculation about possible cross-voting and alliance adjustments in a few overlapping pockets. Congress leaders, however, dismissed any discomfort, asserting that the two national parties are fighting on opposite sides and that their respective alliances remain intact. With polling just 20 days away, the Congress list is expected to give a boost to the DMK front’s campaign machinery, particularly in constituencies where the party has historically performed well but needed a strong local face. The BJP, meanwhile, is banking on its 27 candidates to make inroads in the AIADMK alliance’s target seats. The full Congress list has been uploaded on the TNCC website and will be formally submitted to the Election Commission of India along with nomination papers in the coming days. Campaigning by Congress leaders is set to intensify from Friday, with Rahul Gandhi and other senior AICC leaders expected to address rallies in Tamil Nadu next week.