Following its defeat in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections, the DMK has passed resolutions to increase youth presence in the party, fixing age and term limits for several posts, as part of a major reorganisation move led by MK Stalin.
In a major reorganisation move following the party’s defeat in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections 2026, the DMK Executive meeting on Saturday passed a resolution to increase youth presence in the party, fixing the term and age limit for several party posts.
‘Lost an Election, Not a Permanent Defeat’: Stalin
Addressing the DMK Executive Committee meeting at Anna Arivalayam, party president MK Stalin said the party had only lost an election, not suffered a permanent defeat. “Let us consider this as an opportunity we have been given to plan the future of the party. This is going to be a very important Executive Committee meeting in the history of the party. With your approval, we are going to make major and significant changes to the organisational structure of the party,” said Stalin.
Stalin acknowledged that the functioning of party office-bearers was among the reasons for the defeat, and said mistakes must be openly admitted. He said that rather than examining each constituency individually and simply replacing people, he opted for a comprehensive self-assessment. “Even if the mistake is committed by an individual, it is the 75-year-old party that suffers because of it. After a defeat, many reasons are put forward. Instead of examining each constituency individually, identifying shortcomings and simply replacing people, I decided that we need to undertake a comprehensive self-assessment,” he said.
He noted that after the defeat, he had constituted a 38-member field study committee that gathered constituency-wise feedback, besides receiving tens of thousands of opinions through a dedicated website. Based on this, a restructuring committee headed by Thangam Thennarasu was formed to draft the plan of action, which was later turned into resolutions after consulting senior functionaries.
New Age and Term Limits for Party Posts
The resolutions said that the maximum age for a Branch Committee Secretary has been fixed at 45 years. A person elected as Branch Committee Secretary can hold the post for a maximum of two terms.
Branch Committees will be formed in Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Tiruchirappalli and Salem corporations, and in other corporations wherever necessary, to strengthen the Ward Committees. A person not above 45 years of age should be elected as the Branch Secretary. A person can hold the post for a maximum of two terms.
In the Chennai Corporation, Ward Committees will comprise an average of 10,000 voters, while in other corporations, they will comprise an average of 5,000 voters. The maximum age for Municipal/City/Town Panchayat Ward Committee Secretaries has been fixed at 50 years. A person can hold the post for a maximum of two terms.
The maximum age for a Town Panchayat Committee Secretary has been fixed at 60 years, and a person can hold the post for a maximum of two terms.
In the Chennai Corporation, Area Committees will comprise an average of 40,000 voters, while in other corporations they will comprise an average of 30,000 voters. The maximum age for Area Committee Secretaries has been fixed at 60 years. A person can hold the post for a maximum of two terms.
City Committees will comprise an average of 40,000 voters. The maximum age for a City Committee Secretary has been fixed at 60 years, and a person can hold the post for a maximum of two terms.
One Union Committee should be formed for every 30,000 voters on average. The maximum age for a Union Committee Secretary has been fixed at 60 years. A person can hold the post for a maximum of two terms.
The party’s organisational structure will be reorganised on the basis of revenue districts, with one Party District for every two Assembly constituencies. If only one constituency remains after the division, it will be combined as a third constituency with a suitable Party District within the same revenue district.
The maximum age for a District Committee Secretary has been fixed at 70 years, and a person can hold the post for a maximum of two terms.
Henceforth, there will be no post of City Secretary. Once the Party President announces the 110 districts, District Executive Committee meetings will be held, and the Union, City, Area and Ward Committees must be reorganised within 15 days in accordance with the guidelines. A District Executive Committee meeting must then be convened again in the presence of a representative deputed by the Party Headquarters. Approval for the newly reorganised structures must be obtained and the details sent to the Party Headquarters.
‘Regain Success by Restructuring’: Stalin on Future Plans
“We must soon begin a fresh membership drive. The membership process must be honest and genuine. After the membership drive, we will properly conduct internal party elections at all levels. Qualified new office-bearers will emerge through this process. I believe that those who win through elections, rather than through appointments, will perform better. We can regain political success only by restructuring the party,” said Stalin.
“We are here to stay! We did not enter politics because we were bored; we came here to fight,” he declared to the party leaders.
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