RaHandloom Minister R. Gandhi has been re-appointed as Nippet district DMK secretary unopposed. He is also seen as an authority figure within the party, next to General Secretary Duraimurugan in the combined Vellore district. He contested the assembly elections for six consecutive terms and won four times. However, his ministerial dream was fulfilled in this election. Similarly, he has also retained the post of Vellore East District Secretary, now renamed as Ranipet District, for almost 18 years. There is no fuss about Gandhi continuing as district secretary. But now, besides giving important posts to new faces and keeping many senior executives on the sidelines, Ranipet has become DMK’s battleground.
Some siblings from Ranipet district are agitated by pointing out some people as examples.
“A.V. Sarathi, a famous businessman from Arcot, was the secretary of the trade team of Ranipet district ADMK. During the assembly elections, he was displeased with the ADMK leadership as he lost his Arcot constituency to the ally AKP. He who had not interfered in party affairs for a few months suddenly became close to DMK district secretary and minister Gandhi. In August last year, he met Stalin in person and started traveling to the DMK.