Chennai (Tamil Nadu)

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Thursday invited Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leaders and workers for the party's State Conference, scheduled to be held in Tiruchirappalli on March 9.

Penning an open letter, MK Stalin asked the party workers to gear up for the upcoming Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly elections.

Stalin wrote, "To the beloved brothers and sisters of our leader Kalaignar, who lives intertwined with our very lives, this is an invitation to the Trichy conference written by one among you. I write this letter with great eagerness to see all of you, our comrades, at the grand special election conference of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), the great movement of Dravidian politics, to be held in Trichy, the fortress of brave warriors, under the theme 'Let Stalin Continue - Let Tamil Nadu Win'."

"On March 9, the party conference will be held at Siruganur in Tiruchirappalli as a grand gathering of nearly one million party administrators from all levels of the organisation, from the party headquarters to the branch units, including every wing of the party. The 2026 election is the time to reap the harvest of all our hard work. To prepare ourselves for that field of battle, we are gathering together in Siruganur, Trichy," he added.

Lauding Tamil Nadu minister and Tiruchirappalli West MLA KN Nehru, he said, "On February 26, I personally sent invitation letters to each administrator participating in the conference. I can already see, in my mind's eye, that letter reaching your hands. Whenever a conference is held in Trichy, it marks a turning point in the party's history. And when we think of a party conference, the person who immediately comes to mind is our Principal Secretary and respected Minister, dear brother KN Nehru. The state conferences, regional conferences, and special conferences he has organised in Trichy, each grand and awe-inspiring, are firmly etched in the history of our movement. As I often say, 'If it is Nehru, it is a conference; if it is a conference, it is Nehru.' Even now, he is carrying out the conference arrangements with great excellence. If Kalaignar were with us today, he would have called out: 'Nehru is like Meru (a great mountain). Comrade, march forward towards Trichy."

After shaking hands with Congress on the seat-sharing pact for the Secular Progressive Alliance, Stalin hailed coalition politics.

DMK has allotted 28 seats to its ally Congress for the upcoming elections.

"In the history of Indian politics, the opportunity to nurture alliance parties as ideological partners and move forward together towards common ideals has been given to me, one among you, by entrusting me with the leadership of this party. Even Karunandhi himself did not get such a long, continuous opportunity. Beginning with the Secular Progressive Alliance formed for the 2019 parliamentary elections, it has continued through the 2020 rural local body elections, the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, the 2022 urban local body elections, the 2024 parliamentary elections, several by-elections, and now towards the 2026 Assembly elections. Not only has the alliance remained strong, but several new parties have also joined, strengthening it further," the CM wrote.

Attacking the Opposition, he said that they lack confidence and hope to break the ruling alliance.

He said, "That is why our political opponents, lacking confidence in their own strength, constantly hoped that our alliance would break. They dreamed that parties would leave us and imagined divisions among us. They even tried to break our alliance with tempting offers. We simply watched their fantasies and continued our work."

"Together with our alliance partners, who firmly believe that there is no place for communal politics in Tamil Nadu and that state rights will never be surrendered, we have been conducting discussions with mutual respect and democratic spirit, while welcoming parties that wish to join us. I continue to lead this strong and winning alliance," Stalin added.

Hailing the social security schemes brought in by the DMK government, Stalin called for the victory of Dravidian Model 2.0, saying that the government has fulfilled it promises.

He said, "True to that promise, the Dravidian Model government has been implementing schemes with the ideal of "Everything for Everyone", ensuring that no one is left behind in Tamil Nadu's development journey. We have implemented such remarkable schemes that there is hardly a family in Tamil Nadu that has not benefited from them. Schemes such as Kalaignar Women's Rights Scheme, Vidiyal Payanam, Naan Mudhalvan, Pudhumai Penn, Tamil Pudhalvan, Kalaignar Dream Housing, Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam, Innuyir Kappom 48, Illam Thedi Kalvi, Thozhi Hostel, Thayumanavar Scheme, Anbu Karangal, Anbu Solai, Ungaludan Stalin, Nalam Kaakkum Stalin, along with expanded industrial growth through global investments and double-digit economic growth, have transformed Tamil Nadu into a leading state, a model state for others in India, and a state whose achievements even the statistics of the Union Government cannot deny."

"At that time, my request to you and to the people was this: Give the DMK ten years of continuous governance. We will rescue Tamil Nadu, which has been dragged back by 50 years under the AIADMK rule, and elevate it," he said while slamming AIADMK.

"Let us gather in Trichy, the fortress of brave warriors! Let us pledge ourselves to establish the Dravidian Model 2.0 government! Come in large numbers to Trichy, dear comrade," the letter read.

According to party sources, around 10 lakh cadres are expected to participate in the 12th State Conference. The event comes ahead of the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, with key announcements likely to be made regarding the party's electoral promises.

With just a few days remaining for the grand event, party leaders and organisers are intensifying arrangements at Siruganur along the Trichy-Chennai National Highway.

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As part of the opening ceremony, a 100-foot-tall flagpole is being erected for the hoisting of the DMK party flag.

DMK is looking forward to retaining power in the state, while pitching 'Dravidian Model 2.0' and posing Dravidian ideology as a plank against the BJP-AIADMK alliance.