Udhayanidhi Stalin Flags Off Chennai Marathon Amid Election Controversy

Rajya Sabha MP Kamal Haasan graced the occasion as the chief guest and will present the awards to the winners during the closing ceremony later in the day.

Organised by the Madras Round Table 1 (MRT1), the marathon drew over 10,000 participants, including professional runners, fitness enthusiasts, and citizens from across the city, underscoring Chennai's growing enthusiasm for community sports and health initiatives.

The Chennai Runs 2025 marathon started at Napier Bridge and is scheduled to end at Island Grounds. The event comprises a total of 4 categories, featuring 21.1 kilometres and 10-kilometre timed events, as well as 5-km and 3-km events in both timed and non-timed categories.

This is the fourth edition of the MRT1 organised marathon in Chennai.

Before flagging off the run and interacting with the runners, the Dy CM was seen encouraging the runners to keep moving forward, and acknowledged the support of the volunteers and the police officials, which made the run possible. The organisation also looks to encourage active and responsible citizenship by cultivating the highest ideals in business, professional and civic traditions.

After flagging off one of the categories of the event, the Deputy CM was also criticised by the Election Commission for trying to do a nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) to purify the voter rolls. He alleged that the plan of conducting the SIR in Tamil Nadu is a "plan to capture power".

"We have continuously opposed this SIR... We have seen what they have done in the Bihar elections... The Supreme Court has also made some decisions... Given the upcoming elections in the next 3-4 months, we think it's done intentionally to capture power in Tamil Nadu," he told ANI.

"Today, our Chief Minister has convened an all-party meeting, and he has extended invitations to all party leaders. Let them come and share their views, and our leader will make a very good decision," he added.

When asked about the Karur stampede, saying that "everybody is responsible," but people have introspect on who is "most responsible" for the tragedy.

"The Karur stampede issue is under CBI investigation. So, I did not want to comment on it... Everybody is responsible for it. But people have to think about the person who is most responsible," he mentioned.

The Madras Round Table, which organised the marathon, is a non-political and non-sectarian organisation of young men between the ages of 18 and 40. The organisation aims to promote service, fellowship and goodwill in National and International affairs. According to MRT1, it strives for Community Service through the Fellowship of its members.

- ANI