File photo of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa.
AIADMK general secretary and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa today announced that 50 district secretaries and other key functionaries have been elected in party organisational polls.
The list of new party functionaries was released by AIADMK mouthpiece Dr Namadhu MGR.
Out of the 50 district secretaries, a position considered to be pivotal in Dravidian parties, 36 retained their posts while 14 have been changed including all the four in Chennai, party sources confirmed.
Significantly, former MLA and AIADMK north Chennai strongman P Vetrivel, who resigned his RK Nagar seat to facilitate party supremo Jayalalithaa fight from there is the new North Chennai (North unit) district secretary. He replaces TG Venkatesh Babu, Lok Sabha MP (North Chennai).
Nineteen State Ministers continue to be district secretaries. The Ministers include Natham R Viswanathan (Dindigul), P Thangamani (Namakkal), SP Velumani (Coimbatore Suburban), KC Veeramani (Vellore West) and, BV Ramana (Tiruvallur West).
North Chennai (North Unit), North Chennai (South), South Chennai (North), South Chennai (South) Kanchipuram (Central), Vellore (East) Tiruvannamalai (South), Villupuram (South), Erode, Coimbatore, Nilgiris, Permabalur, Karur, Madurai Rural have new district secretaries.
In Chennai besides Vetrivel, KS Srinivasan has replaced a former MP, Balaganga as North Chennai (South unit) District Secretary. In South Chennai (North Unit) 'T Nagar' B Sathiya, (District Jeyalalithaa Peravai treasurer and Chennai Corporation councillor) replaces VP Kalairajan.
G Senthamizhan (Saidapet MLA) who was briefly the Information Minister in 2011 has been named South Chennai (South Unit) District Secretary replacing Virugai VN Ravi.
For the Tiruvannamalai (South Unit) District Secretary post, 'Perumal Nagar' K Rajan (District Jayalalithaa Peravai Secretary) has been declared elected.
The post was previously held by former Agriculture Minister Agri SS Krishnamoorthy who lost his party post and ministership early this year after the suicide of a government agriculture official who was allegedly under pressure due to him.
Rajya Sabha MP Dr R Lakshmanan has replaced Rural Industries Minister P Mohan as Villupuram South District Party Secretary.
Besides the post of district secretary, other district level positions are presidium chairman, joint secretary (woman), two deputy secretaries (one woman and a man) and treasurer. Functionaries for States including Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka have also been announced.