The two-day State conference of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) will be held at Pirattiyur on a 200-acre site on the outskirts of the city on the Dindigul national highway on February 15 and 16.
M.K. Stalin, party treasurer, during his visit to the district a couple of weeks ago, inspected three sites and finalised the Pirattiyur spot.
The DMK’s district unit, led by K. N. Nehru, district secretary and chairman of the reception committee, has met secretaries and top office-bearers of neighbouring district units to seek their cooperation.
The party, which has already launched a propaganda campaign to create awareness about the conference, has brought in more than 50 renowned artists from across the State for preparing eye-catching banners and doing wall writings, party sources said.
Tiruchi has always been a favourite city for the DMK. This is the fifth time that the city will be hosting the party’s State conference. Tiruchi was the venue for the second State conference from May 17 to 20, 1956; the sixth conference from February 9 to 11, 1990, eighth conference from January 26 to 28, 1996; and the ninth conference from March 3 to 5, 2006. While late V. R. Nedunchezhian presided over the second conference, M. Karunanidhi presided over the others.
Chennai played host for the first State conference from December 13 to 16, 1951, and fourth conference from December 29, 1966, to January 1, 1967; Madurai hosted the third conference from July 13 to 16, 1961, and Coimbatore the fifth conference from December 25 to 28, 1975.
