EPS said demise of aged AIADMK cadre led to vote share loss: Sources
Palaniswami has tasked AIADMK's IT to rope in young voters to replace the loss of staunch MGR followers, people in the know said.
Leader of Opposition and AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami
CHENNAI: Acknowledging a slide in AIADMK’s vote share, by up to 10% to 15%, party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Tuesday informed functionaries that the demise of the aged cadre was the reason.
Losing out on loyal followers of the party’s late founder MG Ramachandran has taken a big toll on the party, said EPS and appealed to workers of the IT wing to rope in youngsters to compensate for the loss in the vote bank.
The AIADMK chief's plain-speak during the meeting of the state-level functionaries of the IT wing at the party headquarters in Chennai came as a reality check, according to insiders who took part in the event.
“Palaniswami said many of the staunch party loyalists from MGR’s era, aged above 55 years, have died. The party has lost around 10% to 15% of its vote share,” quoted a functionary who attended the meeting.
Noting that youngsters account for nearly 40% of the total voters in the state, Palaniswami emphasised the importance of the IT wing in revising the fortune of the party, the party leader said. “He appealed to the IT wing to reflect the thoughts and views of the younger generation to ensure that they are made cardholders of the party ahead of the upcoming Assembly polls to compensate for the declining vote share,” the party functionary said. EPS also told the IT wing to counter any misinformation campaign and false narratives against the party on social media, according to insiders.
Without taking any names, Palaniswami reportedly expressed his disappointment over the functioning of some of the district-level IT wings and its leaders. “He dissuaded them from posting unwanted pictures and news of their respective district secretaries in a bid to show their loyalty, which won’t serve the larger good of the party,” the insider said. Palaniswami unveiled the campaign #epsfor2026 to use social media for better poll preparations.
The IT wing has been asked to focus more on exposing the wrongdoings of the ruling party and highlighting the people's issues on the party's social media pages. Meanwhile, they were also asked to maintain decorum of the party and maintain political decency in expressing their views on social media.
Meanwhile, in a statement, Palaniswami asked the district secretaries and senior leaders to expedite the distribution of membership cards to the party cadre. He also appointed the district in-charge of each district unit to supervise the exercise.
