Former AIADMK Minister Senthil Balaji, who had joined the DMK just a month ago after quitting T.T.V. Dhinakaran’s AMMK, was on Thursday appointed the party’s Karur unit in-charge, replacing district secretary Nanniyur A Rajendran.
Announcing his appointment, DMK general secretary K. Anbazhagan said Mr. Rajendran will now head the party’s weavers’ wing.
Though Mr. Balaji joins a long list of AIADMK leaders who obtained important posts in the DMK after switching loyalties, his elevation to a significant position has been one of the quickest in the grand old Dravidian party.
Key party position
In the past decade, former AIADMK strongmen S. Muthusamy, Anitha Radhakrishnan, S. Austin, T.M. Selvaganapathy and P.K. Sekar Babu were among those who joined the DMK and have got key party positions in their respective regions.
“The party leadership was impressed by the meetings Senthil Balaji organised after joining the party last month,” DMK sources said. Recently, he had got party president M. K. Stalin to hold two ‘Ooratchi Sabhai’ meetings and one booth-level interaction in the Aravakurichi constituency, which he had represented till his disqualification under the anti-defection law.
Reacting to his appointment, Mr Balaji told The Hindu, “I will live up to the expectations of my leader and secure victory for the party both in Lok Sabha and Assembly polls.”