DMK announces sweeping organisational overhaul after poll setback

The DMK on Saturday unveiled a major restructuring of its party organisation, introducing age caps and term limits for office-bearers and expanding its district units from 77 or 78 to 110, following its defeat in the April 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly election. The changes were approved through resolutions at a meeting of the party's executive committee chaired by party president M K Stalin at the party headquarters in Chennai.

The Economic Times and The Times of India report that under the new blueprint, each of the 110 districts will broadly cover two Assembly constituencies. The party has fixed the maximum age for district unit secretaries at 70, with a maximum of three terms, according to The Hindu. For local branch committees, the age cap is set at 45, with a two-term limit that was later increased to three terms after discussions, The Times of India adds. Urban areas in Chennai and other corporations will be reorganised into zones based on voter strength.

Stalin told party members the defeat should be seen as an opportunity to plan the future, acknowledging that the performance of office-bearers contributed to the loss and that a comprehensive self-assessment was needed. The restructuring will be implemented after Stalin formally releases boundary maps for the new districts, and district executive committees must meet within 15 days under party headquarters supervision to carry out the transition.