Cabinet Rejig: DMK Has Its Eyes On Polls

While the resignations of ministers V Senthil Balaji and K Ponmudy were driven by legal compulsions, the ruling DMK, however, seems to have utilized the opportunity to its advantage by targeting a slew of things, including the balancing of support bases, averting criticisms and strategically countering the purported consolidation of votes due to the new AIADMK-BJP alliance.

- K EZHILARASAN @Chennai

Balaji had no choice but to resign due to the Supreme Court's ultimatum, but it is also vital for the DMK that he remains in the political arena even though he is not in the Cabinet.

The BJP has long been eyeing the Kongu region, which is where the AIADMK is also at its strongest at the moment. Their alliance won all 10 constituencies in Coimbatore district in 2021, but things changed after the DMK deployed Balaji as minister in-charge of the district.

It is noteworthy that Balaji and BJP's former state president K Annamalai hail from the same Gounder caste from another Kongu district of Karur. Their rivalry is not news for observers of the state's politics. During 2021 election campaign, Annamalai, who unsuccessfully contested from Aravakurichi, made unsavoury remarks about Balaji.