DMK Gen Zs come together, offer fresh hope to party seniors

Chennai: Hundreds of Gen Z supporters of DMK came together on Saturday for an unusual political gathering, expressing solidarity with the party and sending out a strong message that not all young voters have gravitated towards TVK, as is widely perceived.The meeting, organised by a group of young DMK supporters, faced several hurdles before it finally took place. It was initially planned at Anna Tower Park in Anna Nagar in Chennai, but police denied them permission. Organisers then shifted the venue to a marriage hall near Madhavaram, where permission was again refused.A third venue, a marriage hall near Kolathur, was identified, but on Saturday morning its management declined to host the event. Eventually, with the assistance of senior DMK functionaries, the gathering was held at Anna Arivalayam, the party headquarters in Chennai.The meeting began with the customary ‘Tamil Thai Vazhthu’. Unlike traditional party events, there were no welcome addresses, formal introductions of speakers or exchange of mementoes. The largely Gen Z audience conducted itself in a disciplined manner, in contrast to the exuberant scenes often witnessed at TVK events attended by chief minister C Joseph Vijay.Social media influencers, already familiar to many in the audience, dominated the proceedings. Unlike conventional DMK speakers, they focused on the dos and don’ts of political engagement on social media.Participants openly discussed the reasons behind DMK’s defeat in the recently concluded assembly elections. One of the key organisers, advocate Yasar Arafat, said young supporters had often avoided political discussions.“If we go to a tea shop, we find people with divergent views supporting different parties. We failed to speak politics with them,” he said. “There is a sense of guilt among Gen Z supporters of DMK that they did not engage politically with people during the election, and that feeling has brought all of you here.”Another influencer K A Rajarajeswari stressed the importance of political conversations within families. “We failed to speak politics in our families because we feared it could create problems. But it is time we started speaking with facts,” she said.Commenting on X, DMK president M K Stalin said the gathering reinforced his confidence in the party’s future. “Despite being in the opposition, our energy remains high. This is DMK,” Stalin posted.DMK legal wing secretary N R Elango, who attended the event, said he was encouraged by the direction in which young supporters were moving. Avoiding the usual political rhetoric, Elango assured them that the party’s legal wing would extend support to DMK supporters facing challenges while defending the party on social media.Former industries minister T R B Rajaa, who attended as a surprise guest, declared that “DMK had started winning again after May 4,” referring to the day election results were announced. “None can destroy DMK,” he said, urging young supporters to organise more such gatherings. “We need more organic support like this for DMK to rise again.”Among those present was Bharath from Ponneri in Tiruvallur district, who said he had voted for NOTA in the election but now wished to join DMK. “I came to this meeting intending to join DMK. I am a social media influencer and will take DMK’s ideology to more people,” he said.