DMK president M.K. Stalin has issued a stern warning to party functionaries after complaints that district secretaries were dominating the ongoing organisational reorganisation by allotting key posts to their supporters.
Following the party’s Assembly election defeat, Stalin constituted 19 committees to recommend a uniform structure for DMK units across Tamil Nadu—covering district, area, city, union, town panchayat and ward levels. However, some former ministers and senior district secretaries are alleged to have deviated from the committee’s recommendations while splitting units.
According to party sources, instead of dividing union-level and other administrations as suggested, certain leaders have been restructuring units in a manner that facilitates appointments of loyalists and relatives to newly created posts. While some district-level office-bearers reportedly went along with the changes, others objected and raised complaints with the party leadership.
In response, Stalin is said to have summoned a few former ministers who were part of the reorganisation committees to the party headquarters, Anna Arivalayam, and cautioned them. He also instructed district secretaries to accept changes only after verifying them against the committees’ recommendations.
The party has now fixed voter-count ceilings for each unit. Sources said union units should be formed with about 30,000 voters; in Chennai, units may have 40,000 voters; other corporation areas 30,000; and city units 40,000. Chennai corporation wards should be around 10,000 voters, while wards in other corporations should be around 5,000, with action promised for violations.
