On April 3, 2026, Congress party members in Erode, Tamil Nadu, staged a protest against the nomination of Gopinath Palaniyappan for the Erode (East) Assembly constituency. The protest took place near the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Karungalpalayam, led by Makkal G. Rajan, a former president of the Erode South District Congress Committee, and councillor E.P. Ravi. The local Congress functionaries voiced their opposition to the nomination of Palaniyappan, a candidate from Tiruppur, arguing that the party should prioritize local candidates, or 'sons of the soil.' They expressed shock at the decision, as five long-serving members from Erode had been shortlisted for the candidacy by the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee. The protestors emphasized that their grievances were directed at the committee's leadership and not at K. Selvaperunthagai, the president of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee. They pledged to continue their protest until the leadership reconsiders their decision and replaces the candidate with one of the local aspirants.