AIADMK releases list of district officer-bearers

Vellore: AIADMK cadre were irked by the list of district level party functionaries released by the high command on Wednesday.

The list, jointly released by party coordinator O Panneerselvam and Edappadi K Palaniswami stated that functionaries in 75 party districts spread across the state were chosen unanimously on April 21 and 25.

In Vellore, the urban and rural district secretary posts were retained by incumbents SRK Appu and D Velazhagan (Vellore Aavin chairman). Vellore urban district treasurer Moorthy and district presidium chairman MR Reddy were also incumbents.

However, this has not gone down well with cadre who demand to know why the elections were announced at all, as “it was only a move to rake in money for the party by selling applications for those applying for various posts,” lamented a senior functionary seeking anonymity

It may be recalled that poll observers for Vellore urban district – former ministers Chinnayyan and Chitlapakkam Rajendran – were taken aback when there was a scuffle in front of them following locals objecting to those from the rural district applying for urban district posts. Not knowing whether this was allowed by party rules, the observers left for Chennai with the filed nominations. “When the observers left like this, where was the question of functionaries being chosen unanimously?” a grass-root cadre Murugesan of Thorapadi asked.

Furious at being treated so cavalierly, a former MGR wing functionary who had also applied to contest for the urban district secretary post threatened to go to court if top officials failed to provide him with a convincing answer. “I was never consulted as stated by the party release, and hence there was never any question of functionaries being chosen unanimously” he added.