Karur (Tamil Nadu) [India], February 25 (ANI): BJP leader K Annamalai has accused the DMK government of stalling the construction of AIIMS Madurai by delaying essential administrative clearances, calling on the public to support the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the upcoming Tamil Assembly Elections.

Adressing a gathering in Karur, Annamalai claimed that after the DMK assumed power, it took nearly a year to grant permission for felling trees at the project site.

'After the DMK came to power, there was a delay of nearly one year in granting permission to cut trees required for the construction work of AIIMS Madurai. The ruling party neither executes projects efficiently nor allows others to do so,' Annamalai claimed.

He added, 'Use the upcoming Assembly election as an opportunity for change. Support the National Democratic Alliance and vote to make Edappadi K Palaniswami the Chief Minister.'

The 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly will go to elections this year. In the 2021 polls, the DMK secured 133 seats, leading the Secular Progressive Alliance to victory, while the AIADMK won 66 seats.

A major development was the DMDK joining the DMK alliance, which is led by Chief Minister MK Stalin.

Meanwhile, the NDA led by AIADMK and the BJP in Tamil Nadu, along with other parties, will look to defeat the ruling DMK-Congress alliance. The election will feature a triangular contest after actor-turned-politician Vijay has launched his party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), and is eyeing the top spot.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday published the final electoral rolls for the state of Tamil Nadu following the completion of the enumeration exercise under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) 2026.

According to an official release, the final electorate in the state is 5,67,07,380, which comprises 2,77,38,925 male voters, 2,89,60,838 female voters and 7,617 third gender voters. (ANI)