Chennai, March 12 Tamil Nadu's ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has appointed C.V.M.P. Ezhilarasan as the party’s Propaganda Secretary, replacing him in his previous role as its students' wing secretary, party General Secretary and state Water Resources Minister S. Duraimurugan announced on Wednesday.
As part of this restructuring as the DMK leadership intensifies preparations for the 2026 Assembly elections, R. Rajiv Gandhi has been relieved of his position as President of the DMK students’ wing and has now been appointed as its secretary.
Party President and Chief Minister M.K. Stalin recently defended the creation of new district units and fresh organisational appointments, emphasising that these measures are aimed at strengthening the party for the upcoming polls.
To further enhance its election preparedness, the DMK has implemented several key strategies including the deployment of full-time workers across all 234 Assembly constituencies. Half of these in-charges were chosen based on their performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, in which the DMK-led INDIA bloc secured a landslide victory, winning all 39 seats in Tamil Nadu and the lone seat in Puducherry.
The full-time in-charges are not residents of the constituencies they oversee, ensuring neutrality and focused performance. They are required to submit weekly reports to the state party headquarters, detailing constituency progress and identifying areas for improvement.
To strengthen monitoring, the DMK has assigned ministers in charge of each district. These ministers will collaborate closely with full-time in-charges to evaluate performance and facilitate the implementation of state government schemes and programs.
Chief Minister Stalin is personally overseeing the performance of ministers and constituency in-charges. He has set an ambitious target of winning 200 out of 234 seats in the 2026 elections. Currently, the DMK holds 133 seats in the Assembly.
The party’s election strategy is being led by a core team of senior leaders, including Deputy Chief Minister and youth wing leader Udhayanidhi Stalin, Ministers Thangam Thenarasu and E.V. Velu, and DMK Organisation Secretary R.S. Bharathi.
Udhayanidhi Stalin is actively managing day-to-day operations to ensure the smooth execution of the party’s strategy. In a recent meeting at the party headquarters, Anna Arivalayam, he criticised certain party leaders for underperformance during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, despite being assigned specific responsibilities.
Bharathi, who is a member of the core committee for candidate selection, reiterated that the party’s machinery is fully activated to meet its 2026 election target.
"Our leader, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, has already set the goal of securing 200 Assembly seats in the upcoming elections. The entire party, including senior leaders and full-time workers, is working tirelessly to achieve this objective," he stated. With its organisational restructuring, constituency monitoring, and strategic leadership, the DMK is gearing up for one of its most crucial electoral battles in 2026.
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