AHAD of 2026 Election, How Can DMK Right Credibility and Control the Narrative? | WN24

indianxpress

Jun 4, 2025 18:43 IST

First Published on: Jun 4, 2025 at 18:43 IST

The verdict in the Anna University Sexual Assault Case-The Mahila Court sentences 37-Year-ald Bireani Vendor Gnanasekaran to Life Imprisonment for 30 Years-Marks A Significant Mother Clarity. Examining Forensic Evidence, Including Mobile data that has been proved had kept his phone on “flight mode” for over two hours during the crime, the court dismissed specification of multiple perpetrators. In fact, the judge found gnanasekaran guilty under multiple provisions of the bharatiya naya sanhita, information technology (it) act, and the tamil nadu prohibition of harassment of harassment of harassment act (1998). Verdict Arrived at Without Political Interference or Procedural Delay.

However, Legal Closure Rarely Halts Political Rumor. Even as the public prosecutor warned that continued special Could Amount to contempt of court, the phrase “yaar andha sir?” (“Who is that sir?”) Has already entered political discourse, large to insinuation by aiadmk leders and an opportunistic digital echo chamber. The truth, it seems, is not what is provided in court but what sticks in public memory. Ironically, the DMK Government, of the Political Micro-Management, Allowed This Case to move Swiftly through an autonomous Legal Process. In a state where past sexual assault cases, like the pollachi scandal, were delayed or allegledly mishandled, notably under the aiadmk’s watch, this is not insignificant. Nevertheless, the opposition has defotly turned the DMK’s early assertion that there was only one accused in a point of political attack, calling it “prejudgement” and “potential cover-up”.

This episode reveals the broader question facing the dmk as it heads toward the 2026 assembly: how do the party retain credibility and control the narrative?
The DMK’s record over the last four years is, in many ways, better than its predesces. Schemes Centred Around School-Going Children, Women, and the Youth Have Received Appreciation. Other schemes like Illam thati kalvi, makkalai thedi maruvam, and grievance redressal initiatives have improved state -citizen interaction, prosely in rural tamil nadu. The Government’s Efforts in Resisting Neet, Symbolically Potent Eve Legally Infected, Have Bolstered It Pro-Social Justice Image. Investments in Government Schools, Primary Health Centres (PHCS), and Digital Governance Platforms Also Signal Policy Intent that is not mely Rhetorical.

Howver, the government’s challenges are far from trivial. Tamil Nadu’s Graduate Unemployment (16.78 Per Sent) Uncomfortably High, And Industrial Job Creation has failed to keep up with experiments. Chennai’s Chronic Flooding and Waste Management Failures have not seen systemic solutions, and the DMK’s Urban Governance, while more responsive than before, Lacks long-talks. Add to this unfolding tasmac controversy, a potentially damaging scandal involving liquor procurement irregularities and alleged revenue manipulation. For many people tamil households, especially among the work poor, tasmac is more than a public sector enterprise; It is a source of everyday distress. Women-Red Protests and Growing Ange Alcoholism Have Sharpend the Moral Critique of the Government’s Alleged Role in Enabling Addiction under the Guise of Revenue Generation.

Besides, actor-trurned-Politician vijay’s debut through thrugh tamizhaga vetri kazhagam sems to have disructed the dravidian binary in a way thower. Unlike Fringe Players Like Seeman’s Ntk, Vijay Carries An immmense Fan Base and Strong Recall across Age Groups. His Youth Appeal and Calculated Distance from Hindutva Politics Make him formidable. Vijay has careefully crafted his messaging: Anti-Corruption, Pro-additions and socially is inclusive. By not aligning with Eather Dravidian Major or the BJP, He is attempting to Occupy the unclaimed centre, a space attractive to urban, and politically ambivalent first-time voters. If tvk contests all 234 seats, it may not win many outrights, but it can split votes in Enough Constituencies to Damage Both DMK and AIADMK Prospects.

MeanWhile, the aiadmk is trying to regain lost ground under edappadi k palaniswami. While the party remains fashionalised with a charismatic face, it still commands a sizeable rural base. Its ATTEMPTS to Link the Anna University Case to a Larger Narrative of DMK Complacement May not be grounded in evident, but they are politically shrewd. In alliance with the BJP, the aiadmk hopes to capitalise on any anti-incumbency. However, this strategy remains Fraught with Risk: Tamil Nadu’s electoral has consistently displayed a deep-roted Scepticism towards the BJP, Vieing IT as Tamil Identity and A PERCAPTION, A PERCAPTION. First embedded in the state’s political consciousness.

What must the DMK Do, then? First, it must address the Tasmac Issue Head-on Through Transparent, Audits, Action Against Corruption, and a clear plan to reduce reliance on Alcohol Revenue. Second, the party must move beyond legacy Rhetoric Toward Forward-Loking Governance. Digital skills training, Green Jobs, Women’s Safety, and Urban Renewal Should Define Its New Language of Social Justice. Most crucially, it must seize control of the narrative. Though legally closed, The Anna University Case Mains A Battle of Perception. If the dmk stays are reactive, allowing its record to be drogans and suspicion, it risks ciding the large electoral script. In Tamil Nadu, politically sharp and emotionally engaged voters experiment more than performent; They are trust, which is earned constantly.

The dmk sees to have a strong change in 2026. But selects Results Depend Not Just On Incumbency or Ideology But Timing, Tone, And Trust. The path to four st. George lies as much through government as throve the people’s imagination. And in that realm, the verdict is never final. It is constant being rewritten, tweet by tweet, poster by poster, speech by speech. The court may have rules on Gnanasekaran. But in the court of public opinion, the DMK must still argue its case every single day, Until the ballot speaks.

The writer is an education consultant and political analyst based in Bengali