Stalin in the driver's seat

DMK is one of the few parties in the state that take organizational elections seriously. Held once every five years, the current round of elections has been the last hurdle for Stalin one that he has crossed with relative ease.
DMK has a structure that builds from the grassroots to the very top. The election process that started just before the Lok Sabha elections is almost over ­ with only Chennai and Salem remaining.
After all these years, when one challenger after another has fallen by the wayside, Stalin has stepped in to capture the party at all levels, installing his men and defeating potential rivals.
The results show that Stalin is the overarching force in DMK a status that belonged only to Karunanidhi all these years. Many district secretaries wanted their sons to succeed them, taking a leaf out of their leader's playbook. But Stalin ensured that only those who played ball with him could do that. He ensured that the sons of Duraimurugan, Pongalur Palanisamy and Karuppasamy Pandian couldn't make it, while those of I Periyasamy and Suba Thangavelan have become district secretaries.
Stalin is now all set for 2016, as far as the party is concerned. His team is in place, and it's a mix of young and old. If Baalu represents the old guard in Stalin's team, E V Velu, Ma Subramaniam and Thangam Thennarasu are the raising stars.

Stalin's ascendancy has been a carefully calibrated exercise ­ often helped by circumstances. Many powerful leaders like Veerapandi Arumugam either died or faded away like Arcot Veerasamy . Vaiko's expulsion in 1993 brought the issue out into the open. Since then Stalin had been put through the rigours, with Karunanidhi stepping in whenever he needed to.
Even the organizational structure was tinkered with this year so Stalin could lord it over less powerful district secretaries. In the DMK, district secretaries were known to be the grassroots power centres ­ sometimes spoiling the party's chances in the polls if the candidates were not to their liking. In an attempt to clip their wings, the party almost doubled the districts ­ so now the party has 65 district secretaries. Stalin and his team closely monitored the election from day one and ensured the victory of their supporters.
Stalin's elevation in the party hierarchy has been systematically engineered by Karunanidhi over the last two decades, a former DMK minister said. “The exit of Vaiko was the starting point for clearing the path for Stalin's promotion in the party. He was the biggest challenge within the party for Stalin. Though Alagiri has been an obstacle, in the end, there really was no one from outside the family to compete with Stalin. After the expulsion of Alagiri from the party in March this year, Stalin has become the unquestioned leader,“ the DMK leader added.
A former district secretary recalled the path that Karunanidhi took when he was elected as president of DMK. Karunanidhi, who succeeded his mentor and party's founder leader Anna (CN Annadurai) as chief minister in 1969, has been president of the party since then. His rivals either left the party or accepted his leadership over the years. “There were big leaders like Nedunchezhian, KA Mathiazhagan, K Anbazhagan and N V Natarajan. They were all powerful but he managed to become the party president,“ the senior leader pointed out.
Since then, Karunanidhi has kept his flock largely together ­ a key reason for his longevity in politics and surviving long years out of power.While Karunanidhi had only his wits to help him, Stalin has had the powerful backing of his father. Stalin has had it relatively easy, senior leaders say, implying that the real test of his leadership will come when he completely steps out of his father's shad ow and faces the heat on his own.
By January, the state leadership lineup will be clear. Observers expect that Stalin will pack it with his men.There may even be a few surprise choices though most people know that the final authority will still vest with his father, Karunanidhi.
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