Several former DMK ministers have reportedly complained to the party leadership that the DMK’s Information Technology (IT) Wing was a major factor behind the party’s electoral defeat, following which significant changes are expected within the organisation, according to party sources as reported by Junior Vikatan.
During the recently concluded election, DMK president MK Stalin, Youth Wing Secretary Udhayanidhi Stalin and Deputy General Secretary Kanimozhi undertook extensive campaigning. District secretaries of the party were also actively involved in electioneering. However, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), relying primarily on social media rather than extensive ground-level campaigning, managed to secure power in an outcome that many had not anticipated.
The development has prompted questions within the DMK over the effectiveness of its social media strategy and the performance of its IT Wing at a time when TVK was making extensive use of digital platforms.
According to party insiders, some senior former ministers met Stalin and expressed concern that the party’s poor performance on social media was largely due to the functioning of the IT Wing under its secretary, TRB Rajaa. They reportedly urged the party leadership to conduct a review and strengthen the party’s social media operations to better compete with TVK in the future.
Sources close to the party said Stalin was upset after hearing the allegations raised against Rajaa.
Party insiders claimed that the IT Wing’s activities had become largely confined to promoting posts made by Stalin, Udhayanidhi Stalin, Kanimozhi and TRB Rajaa on social media platform X. They alleged that the wing failed to effectively convert the field activities of the DMK alliance’s 234 candidates into social media campaigns and was unable to adequately disseminate even Stalin’s speeches among the public.
According to the sources, more than 50 district secretaries have expressed the view that the IT Wing contributed little to campaign efforts in their respective districts. They further alleged that Rajaa focused primarily on X while neglecting Instagram, and that the wing failed to closely monitor the opposition’s social media strategy.
As per the Junior Vikatan report, the sources claimed that even if the IT Wing had recognised in the final ten days of the campaign that TVK’s social media dominance could significantly influence the election, it might have been able to limit the scale of TVK’s eventual victory.
Speaking about the reasons behind the IT Wing’s alleged decline, party functionaries claimed that Rajaa began paying less attention to the organisation after assuming charge as Industries Minister. They alleged that balancing ministerial responsibilities, constituency work in Mannargudi and election-related duties resulted in shortcomings in the wing’s functioning.
The functionaries also argued that while the DMK possesses one of the most extensive IT Wing structures among political parties, the effectiveness of the organisation has been undermined by the composition of its leadership. They said the wing consists of a state secretary, around 20 deputy secretaries and district-level office-bearers across the state but alleged that nearly 75% of them are not active on social media and that 95% are unfamiliar with Instagram algorithms.
As TVK was reportedly using social media very effectively, many within the DMK are now asking: What was the DMK IT wing doing during the election?
According to sources, some senior DMK leaders met Stalin and complained that the party’s poor performance was partly due to the weak… pic.twitter.com/SGNS3EpgSX
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According to them, appointments within the IT Wing are often influenced by district secretaries, with no formal mechanism to assess whether candidates are active and effective on social media before being given responsibilities.
Some IT Wing functionaries also alleged interference from PEN, a political consultancy firm run by MK Stalin’s son-in-law, Sabareesan. They claimed that while the IT Wing was issuing instructions to district-level administrators, Pen representatives working alongside candidates on the ground often proposed different strategies, creating confusion within the campaign structure.
Sources close to the party leadership said some former ministers have formally demanded that the IT Wing be taken away from TRB Rajaa. According to the sources, Stalin has expressed agreement with the demand, and major changes within the DMK IT Wing are expected in the near future.
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