Inner coflicts failed DMK in Assembly poll: office-bearers

The DMK district-level working committee meeting was attended by office-bearers of various capacities who put forth their view points in the open forum as usual. Most of them charged that a few functionaries who worked against the party in the election. 

They have urged the district unit to study the factors which caused the defeat at a meeting led by the district secretary KN Nehru and take action against those who worked against the interests of the party to ensure a clean sweep in the district in the upcoming local body elections. 

Manachanallur candidate S Ganesan almost broke down when he said a few functionaries not only showed no interest in the campaign but also worked against him. “I appeal to the district unit to weed out them and let the high command know about it,” said Ganesan who lost the election by a margin of 7,522 votes to the AIADMK candidate.

Srirangam candidate M Palaniandi said DMK could give a tough fight in Srirangam this time, despite the constituency being an AIADMK fort. “We would have won, had only a few functionaries worked properly. Still, we lost by mere 14,407 votes which is much closer compared to the previous elections where the winning margins were 40,000 and 60,000 in 2011 and the by-poll respectively,” Palaniandi said. 

Subsequently, a few union secretaries and trade union wing secretaries raised the same issue and KN Nehru pacified them and asked everyone to put in writing the names of those who worked against the party. He said the issue would be taken up with DMK chief M Karunanidhi and treasurer MK Stalin for disciplinary action.