Chennai, Oct 2 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin will arrive in Ramanathapuram district on Thursday evening as part of his ongoing outreach drive across the state ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.

CM Stalin will fly from Chennai to Madurai and travel by road to Ramanathapuram. At Parthibanur, on the district border, he will be received by senior DMK leaders, including Minister Raja Kannappan and district secretary Katharpathi Muthuramalingam, along with top officials. The Chief Minister will then proceed to Ramanathapuram town, where he will spend the night at the government guest house inside the Collectorate complex.

On Friday morning, Stalin is scheduled to take part in a major government function at Peravoor near Ramanathapuram. He will inaugurate a series of completed infrastructure projects, including the new Ramanathapuram bus stand, and lay foundation stones for fresh development works.

Nearly 54,000 beneficiaries are expected to receive various government welfare packages during the event.

Ministers, MPs, MLAs, and senior bureaucrats will attend the programme. In view of the Chief Minister’s visit, the district police chief has imposed a two-day ban on the flying of drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles in key locations, including Parthibanur, Peravoor and the Collectorate area. The order aims to ensure security and the smooth conduct of the programme.

This visit is part of Stalin’s extensive district tours that have picked up pace since mid-2024, combining administrative review with direct interaction with the public.

Over the past year, he has visited several regions from Thanjavur and Kancheepuram to Cuddalore and Nilgiris to launch welfare schemes, inspect flood mitigation projects, and assess development works.

The DMK leadership views these tours as crucial to consolidate its base and counter the renewed political mobilisation by opposition parties, including the AIADMK-BJP alliance and emerging outfits such as Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam.

With the 2026 Assembly polls approaching, the Chief Minister’s district-level engagements have taken on added significance, both to highlight DMK’s governance record and to reinforce the party’s direct connect with local communities. Friday’s event in Ramanathapuram is expected to draw large crowds and showcase the government’s welfare and infrastructure push in the southern districts.

–IANS

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