DMK names seven zonal in-charges for 2026 polls

CHENNAI: The ruling DMK has classified the State party units into seven zones and appointed its senior leaders as in-charge of each zone to pep up the organisation for the 2026 Assembly polls.

A few ministers were among the seven senior second rung leaders appointed in-charge of the zones. Though no official announcement has been made yet, highly placed DMK sources confirmed that party principal headquarters secretary KN Nehru, deputy general secretaries A Raja and Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, minister’s EV Velu and Sakkarapani and former minister plus district secretary V Senthilbalaji have been appointed in-charge of the zones.

“No announcement has been formally made so far. No notification has been issued in Murasoli so far. But, the appointments have been conveyed to the seven zonal heads and the major party functionaries, mainly the district secretaries, already,” a highly placed DMK leader disclosed to DT Next.

The appointments were said to have been made in the aftermath of the recently held meeting of party district secretaries, which also decided to hold 1,244 meetings to popularise the achievements of the four-year party government helmed by Chief Minister MK Stalin. Information shared by DMK insiders privy to the development revealed that DMK principal secretary KN Nehru would be in charge of the zone covering his native Tiruchy, Ariyalur, Perambalur and other Delta districts, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam and Myladuthurai.

Party deputy general secretary A Raja would oversee the poll affairs of the Chennai zone also comprising Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur and Chengalpattu districts. Thoothukudi MP and deputy general secretary Kanimozhi Karunanidhi would head the zone comprising Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi and Kanniyakumari districts.

Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu would be in charge of the zone comprising Ramanathapuram, Virudhunagar and Sivagangai districts. Senior minister E V Velu would manage the poll affairs in the northern zone consisting of Tiruvannamalai, Vellore, Villupuram and other northern districts. State food minister and district secretary R Sakkarapani will head the Madurai, Dindigul and Theni zones. District secretary V Senthilbalaji, who quit the cabinet recently following pressure from the Supreme Court, will run the poll show in the Kongu region stretching from Coimbatore all the way up to his native Karur on the west and Salem, Dharmapuri in the northwest. The appointments in the DMK must come as no surprise given the party’s history of making such internal arrangements for all but civic polls, including last year’s Parliamentary polls.

A senior DMK leader, unwilling to be quoted, reasoned that the zonal appointments are just checks and balances put in place by the high command to overcome the frictions faced during polls. “It will ensure smooth transfer of poll command right from the top to the lowest party rung. All the zonal heads are senior or influential leaders who have the ears of the top boss – the chief minister. The local district secretaries cannot overlook or defy them. They will apprise the high command as and when the poll works lag behind anywhere in their zones. The leaders also have the authority to recommend organisational changes or effect those within their authority. The leaders will also address the concerns and needs of the party machinery in the poll preparation in the respective zones,” said the leader.

If information trickling out of Anna Arivalayam are to be believed, the appointments could be formally notified within a week or at the June 1 General Council meet to be held in Madurai.