CHENNAI: With an eye on the 2026 Assembly polls, AIADMK has decided to strengthen its youth wing to garner the support of the young voters and inject young blood into the party apparatus. At the party’s general council meeting at Vanagaram on Sunday, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami directed office-bearers to strengthen the Youth Brigades (Ilaignar Pasaraigal) by enrolling more youngsters into it. Besides, a separate sports wing will be created to encourage sports aspirants.
The Youth Brigades was launched by former chief minister J Jayalalithaa in September 2008, when AIADMK was out of power, as part of its strategy to win the 2011 Assembly elections. Those who were in the age group of 18-25 were allowed to become members in these brigades. Reviving the Youth Brigades assumes significance as the party is leaving no stone unturned to win the next Assembly elections. At the GC meeting, Palaniswami directed the office-bearers from district secretaries to village-level functionaries to enrol youth below the age of 30 in these brigades.
Palaniswami also announced that he would be undertaking a statewide tour from the last week of January to expose the DMK government and visit all 234 Assembly constituencies. He also assured that, taking into consideration the expectations of party members, a mega alliance headed by AIADMK will be formed for the elections. “You may think the general secretary gave the same assurance for the Lok Sabha elections and (that has not become true). But I say Lok Sabha elections and Assembly elections are entirely different in nature. Assembly elections are our own elections and we will return to power in 2026.”
“Is Karunanidhi’s clan from a royal family? Only in dynastic rule, the son of a king will ascend the throne after the king’s time and this goes on. The same thing has been happening in Karunanidhi’s family for very long. The 2026 Assembly elections will put an end to dynastic rule in Tamil Nadu,” Palaniswami said.
He added that for each of the 68,467 polling booths in the state, nine new members including three women should be appointed to work for the 2026 Assembly elections. The members should be party loyalists and be able to function efficiently. “If you accomplish this task diligently, it will ensure the AIADMK’s victory in the 2026 Assembly polls,” he said.
Stating that the people have started hating the ruling DMK, Palaniswami said AIADMK functionaries should use this opportunity well.
In his hour-long speech, Palaniswami also criticised the DMK government on many counts. The GC meeting adopted 16 resolutions, most of which condemned the DMK government, and went off peacefully.