AIADMK strengthen booth committees by roping in young cadres

CHENNAI: The AIADMK is carrying out a validation of booth committees to strengthen the party at the grassroot level.

The exercise was aimed at encouraging the participation of young cadres, particularly women, in election works to revive the party's legacy and overcome poll debacles since the demise of party supremo J Jayalalithaa.

Senior party leaders said that the party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami had given a clear instruction to strictly follow the norms in reviving the booth committees and infuse young cadres, who are active in party activities, in the booth committees. Senior leaders and former ministers have been given responsibilities to validate booth committees, covering 68,000 odd booths.

"We have completed the exercise of validating around 85% of the booth committees. And there is no compromise on appointing members to the committee," said a former minister, who has been tasked to review and validate 860 booth committees in three constituencies.

As per the direction from the party leadership, each committee should have 19 members. Seven from the party parent unit, five each from youth and women wings and two from IT wing. "Apart from the 19 member booth committee, there will be active members comprising around 75 functionaries from various wings in each constituency. They will be assisting the booth committee in carrying out election works and campaigns," said another senior leader, who has been validating the booth committees in Chennai region. This is the standard procedure followed in all the 82 district units in the state.

Palaniswami would be reviewing the process of the exercise on November 21 at the party headquarters and all senior leaders and district secretaries, who were assigned the task, have been asked to bring with them detailed information. "The message from our leader is that we want to revise the party's fortune and return to winning streak. Since the demise of our leader (J Jayalalithaa), the party has been bogged down by internal issues and also faced defeats in the LS polls, which is understandable. The same followed in the assembly and local body polls. We want to end this streak, " said district secretary and noted this ongoing exercise would give a much needed push for the party functionaries to exhibit the might of the AIADMK party, which ruled the state for more than three decades.