The decision was taken after an assessment by the Core Cell Security Wing at the State Secretariat.

Chief Secretary Sai Kumar, Home Secretary K. Manivasan, Director General of Police Mahesh Kumar Aggarwal and other senior officials took part in the review, which examined intelligence inputs and Stalin’s protection requirements.

Security cover to continue

Despite the downgrade, Stalin will continue to receive substantial police protection.

Security personnel will be deployed across the front, core and rear sections of his convoy, with pilot, escort, backup and close-protection vehicles forming part of the revised arrangement.

Officials stressed that the move amounts to a rationalisation of security deployment rather than a withdrawal of protection.

The exact number of personnel assigned to Stalin has not been disclosed.

The revised security arrangement will remain in place until the next assessment, unless fresh intelligence leads authorities to review it earlier.

Security categories reviewed every six months

Security arrangements for VIPs and VVIPs in Tamil Nadu are reassessed every six months.

The review takes into account intelligence reports, the nature and immediacy of potential threats, public exposure, travel patterns and individual protection requirements.

Depending on the findings, a security category can be retained, upgraded or downgraded.

Downgrade comes after DMK’s election setback

The change in Stalin’s security cover comes months after the DMK suffered a major setback in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly election.

The party, which had won 133 seats in the 2021 election and governed the state for five years, was reduced to 59 seats, while actor-politician C. Joseph Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam emerged as the largest party with 108 seats.

Stalin also suffered a personal electoral defeat, losing Kolathur, his home constituency, which he had represented for three consecutive terms.

TVK candidate V.S. Babu defeated Stalin after securing 82,997 votes against the former chief minister’s 74,202, winning by a margin of 8,795 votes. Stalin has since challenged Babu’s election before the Madras High Court.

Officials deny political link

Despite the electoral setback, Stalin remains the DMK president and a prominent opposition leader in Tamil Nadu.

Officials maintained that the decision to revise his security cover was based solely on a professional threat assessment and formed part of a routine statewide review of protected persons.

They said the move had no connection with Stalin’s political position or the election results.