Makkal Needhi Maiam urges party members to step up ward-level work for local polls

Makkal Needhi Maiam has told its office-bearers to speed up groundwork ahead of the upcoming local body elections and focus on solving old civic problems at the ward level.

Meeting Details

The choice was made during an online joint meeting of the party's administrative and executive committees on Thursday. General secretary A. Arunachalam and vice-presidents A.G. Mourya and R. Thangavelu attended the meeting, which followed directions from party president and Rajya Sabha MP Kamal Haasan.

Demands and Relief

The party criticized the cancellation of area sabha meetings that were planned for September 15. It asked the Tamil Nadu government to hold the next round of meetings on December 10 after giving proper advance notice. Regarding the monsoon, MNM instructed its members to start relief work right away in places hit by the northeast monsoon and El Niño, pointing to Mr. Haasan's past work during Cyclone Gaja and the Chennai floods. The party also plans to hold public welfare events across Tamil Nadu on November 7 for Mr. Haasan's birthday, including blood and body donation drives, tree planting, and educational projects.

Context

Local body elections allow parties to build a strong support base at the grassroots level by tackling everyday civic issues like water supply and roads. Political parties often use birthdays and community service drives to increase public visibility and strengthen ties with voters.