Major shuffle in AIADMK Madurai unit

By Our Staff Reporter

MADURAI, NOV. 4. The AIADMK high command, hurt by its recent rout in Madurai's mayoral and deputy mayoral elections, has effected a major shuffle amidst its senior district office-bearers.

The former councillor and mayoral candidate, Mr. Sellur K. Raju, has replaced Mr. A. G. Matchakumar as Madurai district urban secretary. He is third secretary in a year. Mr. Matchakumar, who held the post for just three months, has now been shifted to the Jayalalitha Peravai.

The selection of Mr. Raju has raised many eyebrows as the party has many senior leaders such as Mr. Rajan Chellappa, Mr. Jakkaiyan, Mr. A. M. Paramasivam.

A sloppy floor management, particularly in the contest for Madurai Deputy Mayor, has annoyed the high command, which according to sources, faulted Mr. Matchakumar.

It wondered how the party, with the support of 37 councillors, could lose the deputy mayor elections to its arch rival, DMK. It suspected that the debacle had been scripted by two of its own councillors who cross-voted.

The party is also sore over the way the `inexperienced' former secretary had allowed cadres to indulge in violence inside the council hall of Corporation which, in turn, caused a bout of resentment amidst the citizens of the city. It feels that Matchakumar, as urban district secretary, had not put his `heart and soul' into the mayoral elections. Lack of motivation and failure of money percolation amidst grassroot- level cadres, said to be the reasons for the defeat of Mr. Raju in mayoral contest, are also attributed to the mismanagement of former secretary.

A senior party functionary claims that many of the councillors were not happy with the selection of Mr.M.S.Subbu as candidate for Deputy Mayor post.

They felt at Mr.Jeyabal, a former councillor and a strong grassroot-level worker, should have been the consensus choice. Mr. Subbu is said to be the candidate of the Minister, Ms. Valarmathi Jebaraj.

Meanwhile, speculations are rife that Mr. Misa Pandian, the controversial former Deputy Mayor, who joined the AIADMK recently, might be announced as party's council leader in the Corporation.

Relieved as secretary of Madurai urban unit of the Jayalalitha Peravai, he has been appointed secretary of the MGR Youth Wing.

The AIADMK has also removed Mr. R. Vinayagamoorthi, Virudhunagar town secretary. Mr. Radhakrishnan has been named for the post. The party's performance in local body elections was dismal in Virudhunagar district.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Southern States
Previous : A faux pas
Next     : 'Rs. 300 cr. spent on efforts to nab Veerappan'