Chief Minister MK Stalin on Sunday, April 7, announced that the Tamil Nadu government would construct a new cricket stadium in Coimbatore if the DMK wins the Lok Sabha seat. Referring to an earlier announcement by Minister for Industries TRB Rajaa, Stalin said, “We will take efforts to establish a state-of-the-art cricket stadium in Coimbatore, with the active participation of the sports loving people of Coimbatore. As highlighted by our Minister TRB Rajaa, this stadium aims to be Tamil Nadu's second international-standard cricket venue after Chennai's iconic MAC [MA Chidambaram] stadium. Our government and Sports Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin are committed to nurturing talent and enhancing sports infrastructure in Tamil Nadu.”
TRB Rajaa’s announcement mentioned that the proposed stadium could be a “net zero stadium” to boost the local cricket ecosystem. The Minister also said that the stadium will have small turf grounds and will serve as a “beacon of green innovation, water-conservation, and climate consciousness.”
Responding to Stalin’s announcement, Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President and Coimbatore’s MP candidate K Annamalai said that the DMK must first fulfill their 511 poll promises before making new promises. He said that the DMK was making this promise sensing a defeat in the Coimbatore constituency.
Annamalai further added, “The electoral stunts of DMK cannot deceive the youth & the sports enthusiasts in Coimbatore as they have grown increasingly vigilant. DMK is a party that couldn't Construct a New Bus Terminus in Coimbatore in the last 3 years; it is today promising a stadium that should be regarded as the joke of the year and deserves slow clapping from the people of Coimbatore.”
Coimbatore is one of the key constituencies in Tamil Nadu. The DMK has fielded Ganapathi P Kumar while the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) has nominated Singai Ramachandran to contest from Coimbatore.