DMK manifesto panel to tour western districts from Nov 3

The committee led by DMK Parliamentary party leader TR Baalu would elicit the views of people and party workers in western Tamil Nadu in the first phase.

To begin with, the committee would meet people at Coimbatore and Nilgiris on Tuesday, followed by Tiruppur, Erode, Namakkal and Salem. The meeting would be wound up at Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri on November 6.

Party organ ‘Murasoli’ on Saturday notified the tour schedule and advised concerned district secretaries to publicise the venue of the meetings to the people in their respective districts.

Over a week ago, the committee comprising its MPs, including A Raja, Kanimozhi and deputy general secretary Subbulakshmi Jagadeeshan had met under the leadership of party chief MK Stalin at Anna Arivalayam.

Though similar committees were constituted and they had prepared manifestos for the party in the past elections, this is the first time an election manifesto would tour the state extensively to take inputs from the people.

Known for its pompous poll promises, mainly since the 2006 Assembly election in which the party’s manifesto earned the name ‘hero’ of the election, the DMK is expected to unveil a similar manifesto.

If the Rs 1 rice and free colour tv schemes did the trick for the party in 2006, waiver of education loans among other promises helped almost sweep last year’s Lok Sabha election in which the DMK led alliance won all but the Theni Lok Sabha seat. Like in 2019, the DMK could come up with a constituency specific manifesto apart from the general manifesto for the ensuing election for which its poll analyst I-PAC has also been taking inputs through its field studies for a few months now.