Ahead of the assembly elections, the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu is all set for a major organisational rejig. Speculation is rife that the general council, which is the highest decision making body of the party which is meeting on June 1 in Madurai, will see an additional role for Udhayanidhi Stalin.
Party leader M.K. Stalin who arrived at the temple town on Saturday, went on a massive roadshow covering over 19 km in a step to boost the morale of the DMK cadres. Stalin is expected to outline the plans to fight the ensuing assembly polls.
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The general council meeting in Madurai is expected to be a morale booster for the cadres in the run up to the 2026 assembly general elections. Recently the party’s organisation across the state was divided into eight zones and senior leaders were accommodated as the zonal secretaries to oversee the preparations. Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, Thangam Thennarasu, V. Senthil Balaji, E.V. Velu and A. Raja are some of the seniors who have been made zonal secretaries. Apart from this, sources say, new key posts may be created and the party will witness a major organisational restructure.
Udhayanidhi, who now is the youth wing secretary of the party, sources say, is likely to be elevated as the deputy general secretary. It is likely that municipal administration minister and party’s principal secretary K.N. Nehru will be elevated as one of the deputy general secretaries. Sources also say that the number of deputy general secretaries will be increased from five to seven. It was in April 2020, the number was increased from three to five, only to accommodate A. Raja and K. Ponmudy. Ponmudy was later replaced by Tiruchi N. Siva.
It is also said that the number of affiliated wings of the party is also likely to be increased. Sources say that an announcement in this regard will be made by Stalin while outlining the party’s campaign strategy. It is said that he will also issue a warning to errant office bearers in the party.
Before leaving to Madurai, Stalin in his letter to the party cadres said that unrelenting hard work and the right strategies are the foundation for ensuring a victory. “We will discuss and decide our targets and responsibilities in Madurai,” he wrote.
In Tamil Nadu’s history, the DMK has never been elected to power for the second time in a row. It is also fighting heavy anti-incumbency, due to corruption in several government departments in the state, despite rolling out several welfare schemes.
However, the DMK with a strong alliance—the Congress, left parties, VCK and the MDMK—has set a target of winning more than 200 seats in the 234-member assembly. The 2026 election is likely to be a four-cornered contest between the DMK alliance, AIADMK alliance, Seeman’s NTK and Vijay’s TVK.
