Getting into Assembly election mode, Chief Minister and AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa on Wednesday announced office-bearers, including secretaries for 50 district units who were elected in the party’s organisational polls.
According to the list, 36 old hands retained their posts while 14 districts, including four in Chennai, got new faces. Barring Rural Industries Minister P. Mohan, all Ministers who held the post of district secretary have retained their positions. Mr. Mohan has been replaced by Kathir Dhandapani as Villupuram South District secretary. In Chennai, R.K. Nagar MLA P. Vetrivel who relinquished his seat for Ms. Jayalalithaa after she was acquitted in the disproportionate wealth case, has been rehabilitated with his election as secretary of the North Chennai (North) district unit. Speaking to The Hindu , Mr. Vetrivel, said, “We are all waiting to seek the blessings of Amma. The coming elections will witness a bigger sweep for the party ,” he said.
Former MLA K.S. Sreenivasan, secretary of the North Chennai (South) district unit, said he was waiting to do “Amma’s bidding.”
From 2006- 11, Mr. Sreenivasan was MLA of the erstwhile Park Town constituency, which was split and merged with Harbour and Egmore Assembly constituencies. The North Chennai (South) district consists of Royapuram, Harbour, Thiru Vi Ka Nagar and Egmore Assembly constituencies.
Former Minister G. Senthamizhan, who lost his prominence after his removal from the Cabinet, once again secured his position as the South Chennai (South District) secretary. Another new face for Chennai is Sathyanarayanan alias T.Nagar B. Sathya, who has become the secretary of the South Chennai (North) district unit. He is the councillor of ward 130 of the Chennai Corporation. He has succeeded party MLA V.P. Kalairajan. The new secretary of the Kancheepuram (Central) district unit is Thandarai K. Manoharan, while R.T. Ramachandran has become the secretary of Perambalur district unit, a position additionally held by Housing Minister R. Vaithilingam. Former Minister Agri S.S. Krishnamoorthy, facing a case in connection with the suicide of PWD engineer, and was the secretary of the Tiruvannamalai South District unit, has been displaced by Perumal Nagar K. Rajan.
