Free refrigerator, LPG cylinders: AIADMK's big promise for Tamil Nadu elections 2026
AIADMK's Palaniswami said the party would provide free refrigerators to all rice category ration cardholders if voted to power
- Mar 25, 2026,
- Updated Mar 25, 2026 12:55 PM IST
The AIADMK has promised free refrigerators, LPG cylinders and cash support to Tamil Nadu voters ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections. On Tuesday, party chief Edappadi K Palaniswami outlined a wide set of welfare measures aimed at ration cardholders and households across the state.
Also read: Full support to DMK: Kamal Haasan's MNM opts out of Tamil Nadu Assembly poll race
Announcing the manifesto, Palaniswami said the party would provide free refrigerators to all rice category ration cardholders if voted to power. He also promised one kilogram of dal and one litre of cooking oil free of cost, along with a one-time grant of Rs 10,000 to every family to help manage the tax burden and rising prices.
Also read: Headache for Stalin: DMK seat-sharing hits roadblock; VCK makes big move
"The free fridge is meant to reduce the household workload of homemakers," he said while releasing the manifesto at the party headquarters in Chennai.
Tamil Nadu has nearly 2.22 crore rice ration cardholders, who already receive free rice and subsidised commodities such as sugar, toor dal and palmolein oil every month through a network of 34,773 fair price shops.
The announcements follow a familiar template in the state's politics. The AIADMK's latest promises echo measures introduced under former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, who had offered free fans, mixies and grinders in the run-up to the 2011 Assembly elections and rolled them out after coming to power.
The party has also reiterated earlier commitments, including three free LPG cylinders a year for eligible households and Rs 10 lakh ex gratia for families of Jallikattu bull tamers who die during the sport. A set of welfare measures targets women and low-income groups, including Rs 2,000 monthly assistance, subsidised Amma two-wheelers for five lakh working women, waiver of education loans from banks, and a proposed increase in social security pensions to Rs 2,000.
Other proposals include extending the rural employment scheme to 150 days, introducing free bus travel for men on the lines of the existing scheme for women, and providing a one-time Rs 10,000 grant to families.
The manifesto has 297 announcements in total. Among them are a review of the Contributory Pension Scheme and the Guaranteed Pension Scheme for government employees, steps to reduce the cost of construction materials such as cement, steel and sand, and the creation of a separate university for skill development. It also proposes rooftop solar installations, online skill training programmes, and welfare boards for gig workers, including food delivery personnel and taxi drivers.
The AIADMK, which is hoping to return to power after five years, also slammed the ruling DMK government, accusing it of "commission, collection, and corruption" and alleging a rise in taxes and living costs. It said, "The people of Tamil Nadu were severely affected during the past five years of the DMK's jungle rule, under the dictatorship rule of the inefficient puppet Chief Minister Mr M K Stalin, who gave various false promises knowing that it was difficult to implement, and deceived the people and came to power."
The manifesto further alleged that bribery and corruption have proliferated across all departments, leaving the people in despair. "Law and order have completely deteriorated; murders, robberies, sexual crimes against women, and the trafficking of drugs have increased, leaving Tamil Nadu completely ruined."
It also claims that the DMK government has imposed a debt of approximately Rs 1,25,000 on the head of every single person in Tamil Nadu.
The AIADMK has promised free refrigerators, LPG cylinders and cash support to Tamil Nadu voters ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections. On Tuesday, party chief Edappadi K Palaniswami outlined a wide set of welfare measures aimed at ration cardholders and households across the state.
Also read: Full support to DMK: Kamal Haasan's MNM opts out of Tamil Nadu Assembly poll race
Announcing the manifesto, Palaniswami said the party would provide free refrigerators to all rice category ration cardholders if voted to power. He also promised one kilogram of dal and one litre of cooking oil free of cost, along with a one-time grant of Rs 10,000 to every family to help manage the tax burden and rising prices.
Also read: Headache for Stalin: DMK seat-sharing hits roadblock; VCK makes big move
"The free fridge is meant to reduce the household workload of homemakers," he said while releasing the manifesto at the party headquarters in Chennai.
Tamil Nadu has nearly 2.22 crore rice ration cardholders, who already receive free rice and subsidised commodities such as sugar, toor dal and palmolein oil every month through a network of 34,773 fair price shops.
The announcements follow a familiar template in the state's politics. The AIADMK's latest promises echo measures introduced under former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, who had offered free fans, mixies and grinders in the run-up to the 2011 Assembly elections and rolled them out after coming to power.
The party has also reiterated earlier commitments, including three free LPG cylinders a year for eligible households and Rs 10 lakh ex gratia for families of Jallikattu bull tamers who die during the sport. A set of welfare measures targets women and low-income groups, including Rs 2,000 monthly assistance, subsidised Amma two-wheelers for five lakh working women, waiver of education loans from banks, and a proposed increase in social security pensions to Rs 2,000.
Other proposals include extending the rural employment scheme to 150 days, introducing free bus travel for men on the lines of the existing scheme for women, and providing a one-time Rs 10,000 grant to families.
The manifesto has 297 announcements in total. Among them are a review of the Contributory Pension Scheme and the Guaranteed Pension Scheme for government employees, steps to reduce the cost of construction materials such as cement, steel and sand, and the creation of a separate university for skill development. It also proposes rooftop solar installations, online skill training programmes, and welfare boards for gig workers, including food delivery personnel and taxi drivers.
The AIADMK, which is hoping to return to power after five years, also slammed the ruling DMK government, accusing it of "commission, collection, and corruption" and alleging a rise in taxes and living costs. It said, "The people of Tamil Nadu were severely affected during the past five years of the DMK's jungle rule, under the dictatorship rule of the inefficient puppet Chief Minister Mr M K Stalin, who gave various false promises knowing that it was difficult to implement, and deceived the people and came to power."
The manifesto further alleged that bribery and corruption have proliferated across all departments, leaving the people in despair. "Law and order have completely deteriorated; murders, robberies, sexual crimes against women, and the trafficking of drugs have increased, leaving Tamil Nadu completely ruined."
It also claims that the DMK government has imposed a debt of approximately Rs 1,25,000 on the head of every single person in Tamil Nadu.