Chennai, Aug 22:
The DMK on Saturday announced a major restructuring of its organisational setup, introducing age and tenure limits for key party posts and proposing a new framework for its district, union, town, area and ward-level units.
The decisions were taken at the DMK executive committee meeting chaired by party president and former Chief Minister M K Stalin at Kalaignar Arangam at Anna Arivalayam in Chennai.
The meeting, the first executive committee session after the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, focused primarily on strengthening the party organisation and undertaking structural changes following the elections. District secretaries, 864 executive committee members, state office-bearers, functionaries of various party wings, MPs and MLAs attended the meeting.
Focus on younger leadership
One of the key resolutions seeks to bring “new blood” into the party’s organisational structure. The maximum age for a branch secretary has been fixed at 45, while a person can hold the post for a maximum of two terms.
The party has also decided to strengthen branch-level organisations in Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Tiruchy, Salem and other corporations depending on local requirements. Branch secretaries in these areas must not be above 45 years of age and can serve a maximum of two terms.
At the ward level, Chennai Corporation wards will generally have around 10,000 voters, while wards in other corporations will have an average of 5,000 voters. The maximum age for town, city and municipal ward secretaries has been fixed at 50, with a two-term limit.
Limits for higher-level posts
The maximum age for town panchayat secretaries has been fixed at 60, with a maximum of two terms.
In Chennai, area-level party units will generally cover around 40,000 voters, while those in other corporations will have around 30,000 voters. The maximum age for area secretaries will be 60, and they will also be restricted to two terms.
Similarly, town party units will generally cover around 40,000 voters. Town secretaries will have a maximum age limit of 60 and can hold the post for only two terms.
At the union level, the party has proposed one union unit for an average of 30,000 voters. The maximum age for union secretaries will be 60, with a two-term limit.
New district structure
A major change has been proposed in the structure of party districts. The DMK has decided to reorganise its district units based on revenue districts, with one party district for every two Assembly constituencies.
If only one Assembly constituency remains after the division within a revenue district, it will be attached as a third constituency to an appropriate party district within the same revenue district.
The maximum age for district secretaries has been fixed at 70, while they too will be allowed to hold the post for a maximum of two terms.
The party has also decided to abolish the post of city secretary under the new organisational arrangement.
110 districts to be announced
The resolutions state that once Stalin announces the proposed 110 party districts, district executive committee meetings should be convened.
The process of dividing the districts into union, town, area and ward-level units should be completed within 15 days in accordance with guidelines issued by the party headquarters.
Subsequently, another district executive committee meeting will be convened in the presence of a representative deputed by the party headquarters. The newly divided organisational units will then be approved and the details forwarded to the headquarters.
The restructuring is expected to bring greater uniformity to the party’s organisational structure while also creating opportunities for younger functionaries to take up responsibilities.
The executive committee meeting assumes significance as it is the first such meeting after the Assembly elections. The DMK leadership had indicated that organisational restructuring and strengthening of the party machinery would be taken up after the elections.
Senior functionaries, including the party general secretary, treasurer, principal secretary, deputy general secretaries, organising secretary and the party’s communications head, attended the meeting along with elected representatives and other office-bearers.
The resolutions adopted on Saturday mark a significant attempt by the DMK leadership to reorganise its grassroots structure, impose term limits and bring in younger leadership while redrawing the party’s organisational units based largely on voter strength and Assembly constituencies.