Speculation has surfaced within the DMK in Coimbatore after former minister Senthil Balaji sent a WhatsApp message to party functionaries in the Coimbatore South Assembly constituency.
According to party sources, the message—sent around 10 pm—asked ward secretaries to save his mobile number. Since the note went only to functionaries in Coimbatore South and not to those in the other nine Assembly segments in the city, it fuelled talk that Balaji could be preparing to contest from the seat.
Coimbatore South has been held by the AIADMK in the last three Assembly elections since the 2008 delimitation, while the DMK had won the seat five times before the reorganisation. DMK cadres have reportedly been urging the party to contest the constituency directly instead of allotting it to an alliance partner.
The report also said Chief Minister M.K. Stalin discussed the constituency during an interview process in Chennai, where 35 participants attended, and asked about reasons for the 2021 defeat and prospects for a win now. After the WhatsApp message began circulating, Balaji is said to have deleted the post, even as local party workers continued to discuss possible candidate changes.
