DMK working prez Stalin elevated as party chief

Chennai: DMK leader M K Stalin was today elevated as the party president, being elected unopposed to the top post.

At the party’s General Council meeting held here, DMK general secretary K Anbazhagan said Stalin was elected unopposed, as he was the sole candidate who had filed nomination for the party chief’s post on 26 August.

DMK principal secretary M Durai Murugan was elected treasurer, succeeding Stalin, a post he vacated recently in view of his proposed elevation.

The elevation of Stalin and Durai Murugan comes after their ames were proposed by all the 65 district secretaries. Anbazhagan said 1,307 nominations were filed on behalf of Stalin.

Earlier, Stalin was given a rousing reception on his arrival at the DMK Headquarters ‘Anna Arivalayam’, as enthusiastic party workers, welcomed him with beating of drums and hailing slogans in support of him.

The 65-year-old Stalin’s elevation comes about three weeks after the death of his father and party president M Karunanidhi on 7 August and amidst threats by his elder brother and expelled DMK leader M K Alagiri that the party will have to face ‘consequences’ if he was not re-admitted into its fold.

Chants hailing Stalin as ‘Thalapathy’ (Commander) rented the Kalaignar Arangam where the meeting was underway even as the general council members cheered with loud applause.

Party seniors see Stalin’s elevation as a fitting reward for his hard work in his nearly 40 years of public life, and strongly believe that it would strengthen the party.

SECOND PRESIDENT OF DMK

Stalin, whose political journey commenced when he campaigned in the 1967 elections as a 14-year old school student and later became party’s youth wing secretary in 1984, became the second president in the history of DMK, after his father Karunanidhi, who had held the post for 50 years till his death. Karunanidhi became the first DMK president when he took over the reins of the party on 29 July 1969 following the death of party founder and former Chief Minister C N Annadurai.

WHAT LIES AHEAD

The immediate challenge that confronts Stalin is to stitch together a strong alliance to make a mark at the hustings considering that the Lok Sabha elections are just nine months away and to steer the party to win in the two
Assembly by-elections- Thiruparankundram (fell vacant following the death of AIADMK MLA A K Bose) and Thiruvarur, which was represented by his father Karunanidhi, besides the ensuing local body polls.

NO MORE WORKING PRESIDENT

Since Stalin has been elected as the president of the party, the working president post which was created on 7 January 2017 after Karunanidhi became inactive was scrapped off today.

50 YEARS OF POLITICS

Stalin becoming president of the DMK signalled his rise to the top rank exactly 50 years after he launched the Gopalapuram Youth DMK, a precursor to the DMK Youth Wing.

LEADERS GREET STALIN

Leaders of various parties including Congress president Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, MDMK general secretary Vaiko, CPI state secretary R Mutharasan, VCK president Thol Thirumavalavan, Pudhucheri Chief Minister V Narayanasamy, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy, DK leader K Veeramani, congratulated Stalin for being elected as the president of DMK.