Gram Sabha meetings were held across Tamil Nadu’s village panchayats on Gandhi Jayanti, with CM Vijay urging people to take part like a festival. What the meetings cover, and the CM’s tribute to Gandhi.
Village councils across Tamil Nadu met on Friday, October 2, 2026, as Gram Sabha meetings were held in village panchayats on Gandhi Jayanti, with Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay urging people to take part in large numbers and “celebrate it like a festival”. The Chief Minister also paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his birth anniversary.
* Except Chengalpattu and Tiruppur districts, where the Model Code of Conduct is in force for the by-elections.
In a statement issued on October 1, the Chief Minister said Gram Sabhas would meet in all village panchayats on Gandhi Jayanti so that development could be decided with people’s participation. The government, he said, works on the principle that Tamil Nadu can grow fully only when its villages grow, and that the true success of any scheme lies in its benefits reaching every eligible family in every village (Nakkheeran).
He described the Gram Sabha as the bridge between the people and the government, and asked people to join the meetings in large numbers under the motto “Strong villages, a prosperous Tamil Nadu” — closing with a call to take part, build strong villages and build a prosperous Tamil Nadu.
The Chief Minister listed the areas whose benefits must reach every eligible family:
| Area |
|---|
| Rural housing |
| Roads |
| Drinking water |
| Sanitation and health |
| Rural employment guarantee |
| Economic activities of women’s self-help groups |
| Livelihood improvement |
| The Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme for school students, run with self-help groups |
The Gram Sabha — the assembly of all voters in a village panchayat — is the grassroots body of India’s local self-government. Meetings on Gandhi Jayanti are a long-standing tradition that honours Gandhi’s vision of village self-rule (gram swaraj). At the meetings, residents can review the panchayat’s work and accounts, raise local needs, and help select beneficiaries for government schemes.
Marking Gandhi Jayanti, the Chief Minister posted a tribute on X remembering Gandhi as the leader who changed the world with the weapon of non-violence (Oneindia Tamil). Days earlier, on September 28, he had reopened the renovated Gandhi Memorial Museum in Madurai. The same morning he launched the Vettri Payanam free bus travel scheme at Koyambedu, timed to Gandhi Jayanti.
Sources: Nakkheeran (CM’s statement, 1 October), Oneindia Tamil.
Gram Sabha Gandhi Jayanti Day 145