In a matter of a few days, Tamil Nadu will begin in right earnest its preliminaries ahead of the assembly polls in May. Top leaders are headed to the state -- especially Chennai, Madurai and Trichy.

Here's a tentative agenda of the state's political calendar for February.

February 2: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Coimbatore to address BJP workers

February 5: DMDK's Vijayakant will reach New Delhi to meet BJP president Amit Shah.

February 14: PMK Dr S Ramadoss will convene a state-level workers' conference in Vandalur.

February 20: DMDK's Vijayakant has convened a meeting with his cadres at Vedal near Sriperumbudur.

February 22: DMK chief M Karunanidhi to begin interviewing candidates for the polls.

February 24: AIADMK workers will meet at the party Office to to greet their leader and Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalitha on her 68th birthday. They will also use the occasion to file nomination papers.

February 26: Rahul and Sonia are likely to visit Trichy.


In February the full bench of the Election Commission is expected to be in Chennai and tour two or three districts to assess the situation in the aftermath of the devastating December floods and also interact with political parties and the state administration.


Tamil Nadu political observers without mincing words say that that the 2016 TN assembly polls will be the testing ground for both the AIADMK and the DMK for obvious reasons.