DMK high command constitutes 3 committees for 2024 Lok Sabha election

CHENNAI: The ruling DMK has officially kicked off its poll works for the 2024 Parliamentary election. The DMK high command on Friday set up separate committees for holding seat sharing talks with allies, preparing the party’s poll manifesto and coordinating the election works of the party for the general election.

The DMK high command notified the committees announced in the names of Chief Minister M K Stalin and party general secretary Duraimurugan barely a few hours prior to the arrival of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the state to attend various events, including a likely discussion with the BJP state party unit on the poll preparation of the party.

According to an announcement made by Duraimurugan, DMK treasurer T R Baalu would head a six-member committee comprising senior leaders K N Nehru, I Periasamy, K Ponmudi, A Raja and MRK Panneerselvam to hold seat sharing negotiations with the allies of the INDIA bloc in the state.

Chief Minister and DMK president Stalin set up a five-member committee consisting of, besides minister Nehru, R S Bharathi, ministers E V Velu, Thangam Thennarasu and also Udhayanidhi Stalin to coordinate and oversee the poll works of the party.

Young Manifesto committee: Mayor Priya to have a say in manifesto preparation

The most surprising of all announcements was related to the composition of the manifesto committee chaired by party deputy general secretary and Thoothukudi MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi. Unlike in the past elections when the manifesto committees were packed with the rank old timers, the DMK high command has taken a good number of youngsters and even a newcomer on board to prepare the party’s poll manifesto, which always created an element of excitement in the political circles for its pomposity and variety.

Apart from a few old horses like headquarters spokesperson TKS Elagovan, farmers wing secretary AKS Vijayan and traders wing president Govi Chezhian, the rest of the manifesto committee members were relative youngsters like state ministers PTR Thiaga Rajan and TRB Rajaa and MPs KRN Rajeshkumar and MM Abdullah. MLAs CVMP Ezhilarasan and Dr Ezhilan Naganathan, who ‘head’ the students and doctors wings, respectively, have also been appointed members of the committee. One surprise inclusion in the committee was Chennai Mayor R Priya who would also provide inputs to the manifesto. Though all the members of the committee, except Kanimozhi and Elangovan, were secretaries of one of the wings of the party, the ‘X’ factor of the committee seems to be fresh and out of the box thinking given the choice of members, most of whom are active and vocal netizens.