TN Congress to launch  40-day 'Save the Constitution' campaign from today

Chennai, May 4 (IANS) The Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) will kick off its 40-day campaign, titled 'Save the Constitution', on Sunday at 4 p.m. in Teynampet, Chennai.  

The campaign is aimed at opposing the Union government’s alleged undermining of constitutional values. All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary in charge of Tamil Nadu, Girish Chodankar, and senior leader and former Union minister P. Chidambaram are slated to participate in the launch event.

This initiative is part of a nationwide campaign mandated by resolutions passed during the Congress’ Ahmedabad and Belagavi sessions.

State Congress chief K. Selvaperunthagai has appointed senior party functionaries to oversee activities across 72 district units. He has instructed these leaders to coordinate closely with district presidents, hold consultative meetings at zonal, town and block levels.

In a statement, Selvaperunthagai announced that the campaign would roll out in four phases, covering the state, district, and assembly constituency levels. From May 5 to May 10, public meetings will be held in every district, followed by constituency-wise outreach drives from May 11 to May 17. Party cadres will undertake door-to-door visits across polling booth areas.

G.K. Muralidharan, TNCC state general secretary and in-charge of the Dindigul urban district unit for the campaign, told reporters, “District units will take the party’s message to every street and household, distributing pamphlets that expose the BJP’s anti-people policies.”

The Congress, a key constituent of the DMK-led INDIA bloc in Tamil Nadu, is gearing up for the 2026 Assembly elections.

The DMK, in its recent district secretaries’ meeting in Chennai, expressed confidence in retaining power and urged alliance partners to campaign vigorously across the state.

K. Selvaperunthagai, who marks his first anniversary as TNCC president, is a prominent Dalit leader known for his grassroots appeal and outspoken criticism of political rivals. However, he has recently faced dissent from a faction of party members aligned with a Congress Member of Parliament from southern Tamil Nadu. The Congress currently holds 17 seats in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, a notable rise from the eight seats it won in 2016.

With the DMK aiming to win 200 of the 234 seats in the upcoming elections, Selvaperunthagai is expected to be given a free hand by the party high command in steering Congress’ state affairs.

Sources within the Tamil Nadu Congress indicate that Selvaperunthagai enjoys the backing of senior party leaders, including AICC General Secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal. Party insiders also reveal that the TNCC chief is planning an organisational revamp in the lead-up to the 2026 polls. It may be recalled that Congress has historically played a secondary role in Tamil Nadu’s political landscape, long dominated by the Dravidian majors -- the DMK and AIADMK -- but hopes to strengthen its position through this extensive campaign.