Tamil Nadu’s ruling DMK on Wednesday re-appointed Udhayanidhi, son of party chief M K Stalin, as the secretary of the youth wing for another term, while it appointed former MP Helen Davidson as the head of the women’s wing, replacing Kanimozhi Karunanidhi who was elevated as deputy general secretary last month.
The appointments were announced by party general secretary Durai Murugan in separate statements. Kanimozhi, who held the post of women’s wing secretary for over a decade, was appointed as a deputy general secretary on October 9 in what was seen as an elevation for her in the party hierarchy.
Durai Murugan said Udhayanidhi has been appointed as the secretary of the youth wing for a second consecutive term. He was first appointed to the post in 2019, less than a year after he began participating actively in DMK affairs.
He also announced that Helen Davidson, former MP from Kanyakumari, will be the new secretary of the women’s wing, replacing Kanimozhi. Party sources said the DMK will appoint office-bearers to all its wings in the coming days as the internal election process is over.
Udhayanidhi’s reappointment comes amidst calls from partymen to induct him to the cabinet led by his father. The Chepauk-Tiruvallikeni MLA also recently said he would concentrate more on politics and less on his acting career.
Kanimozhi was expected to leave the post in the women’s wing after she was appointed as deputy general secretary. Besides Kanimozhi, Stalin and Udhayanidhi are two other family members who hold party posts.
The appointment of Kanimozhi as one of the deputy general secretaries came close on the heels of her being named as the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development and Panchayat Raj.