The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam on Thursday announced election in-charge for all 32 districts of the state as it prepares to take on the mighty ruling AIADMK in the Assembly polls due next year.
Senior leaders, including former Ministers K N Nehru, M R K Panneerselvam, K Ponmudi and E V Velu — all local party heavyweights, have been named as election in-charge and they will coordinate with the high command ‘directly and through reports,’ a DMK press release here said.
Their tasks include consulting party’s Booth Level Agents (BLA) and taking up various people’s issues through protests and demonstrations in the respective constituencies, it said.
“The Election in-charge are being appointed to share constructive ideas with the party high command till elections, either in person or through reports,” it said adding, they would be ‘transparent’ in also sharing the shortcomings in the respective districts.
Senior office-bearers, including key district Secretaries and others were advised to coordinate with the new appointees, it said.
Preparing for a must-win elections next year, DMK has gone on a pre-poll mode, with party Treasurer and former Deputy Chief Minister M K Stalin going on a phased tour of the state titled ‘Namakku Name’ (Self-reliance) in a bid to woo the voters.
After being trounced by arch rival AIADMK in the 2011 Assembly polls, winning just 23 seats, DMK has repeatedly faced defeat in all electoral contests since then, including a rout in last year’s Lok Sabha polls at the hands of the Jayalalithaa-led ruling party.
While AIADMK won 37 of the 39 seats it contested in the state, the Stalin-led DMK returned no MPs.
