Focus on Vellore in DMK’s Monday meet

Stalin would chair the meeting of his district chiefs at ‘Anbagam,’ an announcement made on Thursday by party general secretary K Anbazhagan said. DMK has already appointed its MPs TR Baalu, Jagathrakshakan and MLAs Gandhi and Nandakumar in charge of the election.

As if the existing coordinators were not enough, Stalin had deputed over half a dozen former ministers, including district secretaries KN Nehru, EV Velu, K Ponmudi, Erode Muthasamy and deputy general secretary I Periasamy to oversee poll preparations there. The former ministers have been given a team each to prepare for the August 5 poll day, which would be a tight battle between Kathir Anand and educationist turned politician AC Shanmugam of the AIADMK.

The principal opposition party, which along with its allies won all 37 seats they had contested, has fielded Kathir Anand, son of party treasurer Duraimurugan again. Though Duraimurugan, who is also the deputy legislature party leader of the DMK has been kept busy by the ongoing Assembly session, the DMK veteran has been engaged in electioneering discussion. Duraimurugan has been holding first round of negotiations with his field lieutenants to wrest control of his native seat, which would sustain the party’s near clean sweep record in the recently concluded Parliamentary elections.