With rejig, Amma revs up AIADMK for civic polls

Party Secys Replaced In 16 Districts, Leaders Put On Notice
With local body polls looming, chief minister J Jayalalithaa has set in motion a series of measures to give new energy to the party. It started with an emotional speech to party cadres during the state executive committee meeting held in the AIADMK headquarters at Royapettah last month.
The executive committee that consists of more than 400 members is the backbone of the AIADMK.It comprises MLAs, MPs, office-bearers in the headquarters as well as two other leaders from each district. It is the forum through which the party functions. Showing her displeasure over the party's performance in the assembly election when it ceded ground to DMK, Jayalalithaa listed specific charges of party leaders not giving their best, said a party source.

Among the districts where AIADMK suffered a setback in the assembly election are Chennai, Vellore, Pudukottai, and parts of Madurai as well as the delta region. Others like Kanyakumari where the party performed poorly in the 2016 election are also areas where the party organization may see a shake-out with a view to rev up the party. At the executive meeting, Jayalalithaa talked about “betrayal“ by some leaders, and this was enough to let the attendees know that they have been put on notice. “When Amma took up the issue, many cried out loud saying `Amma, tell us their names, we will crush them now',“ says a party leader who is a member of the committee and attended the meeting.
Soon after the elections, the party leadership had started rejigging the district organisational structure. District secretaries were replaced in some 16 districts. A cabinet reshuffle is also on the cards so that before the local body polls the party is in good shape to take on a revitalized opponent.
Along with changes in the party, the chief minister has also made key changes in the bureaucracy. Political analyst M Kasinathan says that the DMK's performance would mean that many officials may dust up their past allegiances to that party since it may come to power in the next election. “Jayalalithaa will have to deal with the bureaucracy carefully and make well thought out appointments to neutralize this,“ he says.
Among the major changes has been the appointment of D Karthikeyan as commissioner of Chennai Corporation. Having served in the city before, observers say that Karthikeyan will be able to improve the functioning of the civic body and turn it around. Amma Canteen is seen as a success. The city may well see a roll out of similar welfare measures.
In the assembly election, DMK was able to win 10 out of 16 seats in Chennai. It was a comeback of sorts for the party and the AIADMK is keen not to let that turn into a momentum for local body polls. Transfers in the police department may also be in the offing, say party leaders, so police functioning is toned up and law and order issues are seen to be addressed.
The December floods that hit areas such as Saidapet, Velachery , Sholinganallur, Pallavaram, Tambaram and Chengalpet saw voters electing DMK candidates. In Kancheepuram, AIADMK won just two seats, losing nine to DMK.
Political analysts say the city needs familiar faces to build trust towards the ruling AIADMK to regain power in Chennai Corporation. Saidai Duraisamy was projected as an educationist and a public figure beyond political affiliations. In the upcoming local body polls, party sources talk about a woman candidate with a profile of her own.
The party is also banking on what they say is a weak link in the opposition. “The Congress remains a problem area. As a major ally, it will have be to given 15% to 20% of the total seats. AIADMK expects an easy fight in those wards allotted to the Congress while gearing up for a tough fight with the DMK elsewhere,“ says Duraisamy Ravindran, a lawyer in Madras high court and senior analyst. The new rule on indirect election of mayors is intended to counter the DMK in places like Vellore, Chennai, Tirunelveli and Tuticorin where the DMK has emerged strong, he adds.