The President of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee, Selvaperunthagai, openly expressed his grievances, highlighting the 2026 state assembly elections. He emphasized the party’s past role as a decisive force in the 1950s and urged party members to aim for that level of authority once again. His candid remarks have reportedly caused a commotion within the I.N.D.I Alliance in Tamil Nadu.
Selvaperunthagai lamented, “How long will we wait for another party to give us seats? In Tamil Nadu, the Congress party should grow from the position of asking for seats to the position of giving seats.”
Speaking at Congress executive meeting in Arani, Tiruvannamalai district, Selvaperunthagai expressed, “57 years of deception since 1967 is enough. The Congress party should grow from asking for constituencies to distributing constituencies during the elections. Kamaraj’s regime should be restored and the administrators should work hard. How much longer do we have to wait? We waited for peace for 57 years. Assembly elections are due in two years. The question arises whether we should remain silent any longer . We are compelled to strengthen the structure of the Congress party in Tamil Nadu without delaying even a second. How long will we wait for another party to give us seats? Once upon a time we allotted constituencies to all the parties. We need to restore that condition. It should be made possible with the slogan of Kamaraj rule, “ he said
#JUSTIN | முதன்மை கட்சியாக காங்கிரஸ் மாற வேண்டும் – செல்வப்பெருந்தகை#Selvaperunthagai | #Congress | #TamilNadu pic.twitter.com/FqxqmOlO2s
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As all parties awaiting the vote count on 4th June, Selvaperunthagai surprised many by embarking on a tour of every district starting from 13 May 2024. From the evening of 10 May 2024, a message from Satyamurthy Bhavan (Tamil Nadu Congress Committee Headqarters) informed the administrators of Tiruvannamalai and Vellore districts that the state president would be visiting their districts for a consultative executive meetings. In response, hurried meetings were arranged in Arani, Tiruvannamalai district, and another in Vellore district.
The purpose of these visits was to assess the performance and effectiveness of the Village Congress Committees and District Congress Committees. Simultaneously, there is speculation among his close associates that Selvaperunthagai aims to replace district leaders within the Congress party. Taking advantage of the interim period before the vote count, Selvaperunthagai planned his district tour, even drafting a proposed list of new district leaders beforehand.
Selvaperunthagai, departing from his predecessor’s approach, has shifted towards a more conservative style. He has not consulted either his supporters or reached out to former state leaders and senior figures to select district leaders like Alagiri. Likewise, there are discussions about whether Selvaperunthagai will maintain the current successful leaders or choose to install his own supporters. This has led to much speculations and noise within the Congress party. Selvaperunthagai is poised to make decisive moves to fortify the Congress structure, with plans to replace longstanding district leaders with fresh faces, according to sources close to him.
Political observers note that Congress’s adoption of this strategy stems from the leadership achievements demonstrated by K. Annamalai, the BJP President in Tamil Nadu. Annamalai seems to have successfully expanded the party’s reach in a remarkably short period. Now, Selvaperunthagai’s actions, suggesting preparations for the upcoming general election and addressing concerns over seat allocation with the DMK, as well as the restructuring of district leadership within the Congress, have sparked considerable debate.
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