CHENNAI: DMDK general secretary Premalatha Vijayakant on Monday said the party has begun a structured consultation process with its district-level leaders to decide its alliance strategy for the forthcoming Assembly elections, underlining that the final call will reflect the collective will of the party cadre rather than top-down negotiations.
Addressing reporters after a meeting of district secretaries at the party headquarters in Koyambedu, Premalatha brushed aside speculation around earlier discussions with AIADMK on a Rajya Sabha seat deal. She said such matters were not the party's immediate priority. "Those discussions can be kept aside. What is before us now is the Assembly election, and our focus is firmly on that," she said.
The DMDK chief added that the party has sought detailed feedback from district secretaries on the course the party should adopt in the upcoming polls. She noted that each district secretary has been asked to convey the prevailing mood and expectations of party workers in their respective regions.
"We have consulted our district secretaries on what decision the party should take for the Assembly elections. Each district secretary is free to share their views on how the DMDK should approach the coming polls," she said. The party has placed a suggestion box at its headquarters, where district secretaries can submit their opinions on potential alliances.
Premalatha stressed that the views expressed by district secretaries would be treated as the voice of the districts they represent, making the consultation exercise central to the party's decision-making. "Since district secretaries reflect the sentiment of their districts, we will base our alliance decision on their feedback," she said.