AIADMK poll promises: three cooking gas cylinders, hike in old-age pension

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Wednesday (February 4, 2026) made five more election promises, including providing three cooking gas cylinders to ration card holders who draw rice every year, waiving education loans from banks and increasing old age pension from ₹1,200 to ₹2,000 per month. The Tamil Nadu Assembly election will be held in April-May this year.

Addressing the media after attending the district secretaries meeting at the party headquarters in Chennai, Mr. Palaniswami announced that in case a jallikattu participant dies while trying to tame the bull, ₹10 lakh solaitum will be paid to the family of the deceased. Likewise, 2 thousand lira compensation will be given to the injured.

Additionally, a subsidy of ₹ 5 lakh will be given for conducting a jallikattu event at the government-approved site and the manual registration system will be brought back in place of the existing online system. In addition to providing interest-free loans to women’s aid groups belonging to religious minorities, disabled people will be exempt from loans received from cooperatives.

With the latest assurances, the total number of poll promises made by AIADMK has increased to 10.

Mr. Palaniswami said that the State has nothing to be proud of under the current DMK regime. On the contrary, one was supposed to “hang one’s head in shame.” Not a day has passed without any incident of violence against women, he contended.

As for Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leader Vijay’s insinuating references to his party, the AIADMK leader said Mr. Vijay was apparently unaware of what was happening in the State as there was “very little contact” between him and the outside world. “Let him hold a press conference first!” Mr. Palaniswami spoke humorously.