Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin takes Chennai Metro during poll campaign, interacts with commuters

NEW DELHI: Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin on Friday made a surprise appearance on the Chennai Metro, travelling from Chennai Central to DMS station as part of his election campaign ahead of the Assembly polls.During the journey, the DMK chief interacted with passengers, spoke to daily commuters and sought support for his party, turning a routine metro ride into a public outreach exercise.

‘A journey filled with people’s affection’

Sharing a video of the ride on X, Stalin described the experience as “a journey filled with people’s affection,” while recalling his role in shaping the metro project during his tenure as deputy CM.He said he had travelled to Japan to secure funding support from JICA for the project and highlighted how the first phase—connecting key routes like Wimco Nagar to the airport and Central to St Thomas Mount—has already seen millions of journeys.Stalin added that the second phase of expansion is progressing rapidly and promised that once completed, Chennai would become one of the cities with the longest metro connectivity in India. “Let our dream of developing Chennai succeed,” he said.In an earlier post, he noted that he interacted with morning commuters and appealed for votes for the DMK-led alliance before heading to other campaign locations.

Campaign heats up ahead of April 23 polling

Stalin, who is contesting from the Kolathur constituency, has intensified grassroots outreach in recent days. Earlier this week, he conducted a morning walk in Sirkazhi, where he interacted with residents, shared tea at a local shop and sought support.Meanwhile, deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin campaigned in Chennai’s Triplicane constituency.The Tamil Nadu Assembly elections will be held in a single phase on April 23, with counting scheduled for May 4. The main contest is between the DMK-led alliance and the NDA bloc led by AIADMK and BJP, while actor-turned-politician Vijay’s entry is expected to add a third dimension to the race.