CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin on Friday announced the constitution of three committees of the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) to prepare for the Lok Sabha elections later this year.

According to the statement, Thoothukkudi Lok Sabha member K Kanimozhi will head the party’s manifesto committee, Sriperumbudur MP TR Baalu will lead the committee for holding seat-sharing talks with allies and Tamil Nadu’s municipal administration minister KN Nehru will chair the committee mandated to oversee coordination of election work.

“Let’s get the job done! Let’s win!” MK Stalin said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, as he announced the three committees.

Tamil Nadu sports minister and DMK’s youth wing head Udhayanidhi Stalin has been appointed to the KN Nehru-led committee. Apart from Nehru, this panel also has senior party leaders such as finance minister Thangam Thennarasu, municipal administration minister KN Nehru, DMK organisation secretary RS Bharathi, and public works minister EV Velu.

“This committee will coordinate and monitor work for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections,” said a statement by chief minister and DMK president M K Stalin.

The TR Baalu-led committee for holding negotiations with allies includes K Ponmudy, the state higher education minister who was convicted in a disproportionate assets case on December 21 that led to his disqualification as a legislator. Ponmudy and his wife P Visalakshi have been handed a three-year jail sentence by the high court but have been exempted by the Supreme Court from surrendering and serving the sentence since their appeal is pending.

Besides Baalu and Ponmudy, the six-member committee to negotiate with alliance partners are Nehru, parliamentarian A Raja, rural development minister I Periyasamy, and agriculture minister MRK Panneerselvam.

Kanimozhi will head an 11-member committee that comprises party spokesperson TKS Ilangovan, information technology minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, industries minister TRB Rajaa, Thousand Lights constituency legislator Dr N Ezhilan, Chennai mayor R Priya, Kancheepuram legislator CVMP Ezhilarasan, parliamentarian MM Anbullah, party whip Govi Chezhiaan, MP KRN Rajeshkumar, and former parliamentarian AKS Vijayan.

In 2019 when the AIADMK and the Bharatiya Janata Party were in an alliance, the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance won 38 of Tamil Nadu’s 39 seats, leaving just one seat for the AIADMK.

Last September, the AIADMK ended its four-year-old alliance with the BJP. The DMK has said that their grand alliance which includes the Congress, Left parties and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK–formerly Dalit Panthers of India) will be intact for the parliamentary elections. They are also part of the INDIA bloc formed against the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.