Chennai, October 8:
DMK president and former Chief Minister MK Stalin has directed party district secretaries to complete the ongoing organisational restructuring exercise by October 20, setting a fresh deadline for the revamp that had been delayed due to by-election-related activities.
In a statement on Thursday, Stalin urged party functionaries to expedite the process and ensure that the newly proposed organisational divisions were approved at the district level. The restructuring committee has recommended the creation of new organisational areas, and the respective district units have been asked to complete the necessary formalities without further delay.
The DMK has decided to increase the number of its organisational districts from 77 to 110 as part of the exercise. Once the restructuring is completed, the party plans to launch a membership drive and conduct internal elections to various organisational posts.
The revamp also proposes age limits and restrictions on the tenure of office-bearers. The maximum age for district secretaries has been fixed at 70, with a maximum of two terms. Branch secretaries will have an upper age limit of 45, while ward secretaries in corporations, municipalities and town panchayats should not exceed 50 years.
For area, town and union secretaries, the maximum age has been fixed at 60, with these posts also restricted to two terms. The party has further decided to abolish the post of city secretary.
Under the proposed organisational arrangement, a district unit will generally cover two Assembly constituencies, taking revenue district boundaries into account.
The restructuring is intended to reorganise the partyās grassroots structure and streamline its administration ahead of the next stages of internal elections. Stalinās latest directive places the responsibility on district secretaries to complete the exercise within the stipulated timeframe.