R ARIVANANTHAM
CHENNAI, JUNE 11
Having won all 40 seats in the recently held Lok Sabha polls in Tamil Nadu and Pondy, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has on Tuesday rewarded the best performers with suitable posts in Parliament. To have the first mover advantage in the 2026 Assembly polls, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Udhayaidhi Stalin have also drawn up strategy, party sources said.
As a precursor to this endeavour, party chief MK Stalin has elevated DMK deputy general secretary Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, who was elected from the Thoothukudi Lok Sabha constituency in the recently held elections, as the party’s parliamentary leader. Octogenarian Sriperumbudur MP TR Baalu will now head the DMK in the Lok Sabha.
In a statement released on Tuesday, DMK chief MK Stalin announced the decision. The party has nominated Tiruchi N Siva as the DMK’s leader in the Rajya Sabha. Dayanidhi Maran will be the deputy floor leader in Lok Sabha and M Shanmugam is the deputy floor leader in Rajya Sabha.
Nilgiris MP. Raja will be the DMK party’s whip in Lok Sabha and Senior Supreme Court advocate P Wilson will be Rajya Sabha’s party whip. Arakkonam MP S Jagathrakshakan will serve as DMK Parliamentary treasurer for both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
Kanimozhi had also been the points person in Delhi for the DMK and has been instrumental in clearing several hiccups during the parleys with alliance party leaders in Delhi. She was elevated as the party’s deputy general secretary in 2023.
Udhayanidhi Stalin’s strategy for 2026 polls
Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Udhayaidhi Stalin is taking the list of young office-bearers who have worked well in the Lok Sabha elections as well as that of non-performers.
Udhayanidhi Stalin has decided to promote a list of young grassroot workers who have performed well. Accordingly, it is said that Udayanidhi Stalin has decided to field some of them as district secretaries.
He has also taken a list of ministers and district secretaries who have not delivered the desired results. It is said that Udhayanidhi Stalin has decided to make some changes in this list.
Kanimozhi’s credits
- Kanimozhi has been the Member of Parliament for 17 consecutive years. She was the Rajya Sabha MP for two terms, from 2007, and was later elected from Thoothukudi constituency to the Lok Sabha in 2019. She defeated the AIADMK candidate Sivasamy Velumani by a large margin of 3,92,738 votes by scoring 5,40,729 votes in the recently concluded election. She won from the same Thoothukudi constituency in 2019 by a margin of 3,47,209 votes.
- She has been the face of the party in Delhi for over two decades since she was nominated to the Rajya Sabha
- When there is a coalition government, scenes can change dramatically. Delhi needs a strong voice at a time like this with tenacity
- Kanimozhi is firm in principle. With the BJP coming to power for the third time, DMK needs someone as determined as Kanimozhi·
- Kanimozhi is friendly with other parties. Kanimozhi will be a good choice to make things happen for Tamil Nadu in Delhi.
