Tamil Nadu had witnessed a major political elevation on Saturday - May 28 as PMK MP Anbumani Ramadoss has been unanimously elected as the PMK President. The development has attracted huge attention across the state and it has come when Anbumani Ramadoss has been building a mission of putting the party in power in the 2026 assembly polls. 

While Anbumani was made the president in a grand event held in Chennai, former president GK Mani has awarded a new post. According to reports, GK Mani has been appointed as the Honorary President of PMK and he has been in praise for his decades-long service to the party. GK Mani had served as the party president for 25 years and on Saturday, PMK has welcomed a new chief after two decades.

Anbumani has been elevated as the PMK President in a special executive committee meeting that was held in Thiruverkadu, Chennai. The incumbent president GK Mani, who held the post for the past 25 years, would make way for Anbumani and the former will be awarded a newly-created post. GK Mani is a staunch supporter of the party's founder Ramadoss and the political elevation has drawn huge attention.  

Speaking at the executive committee meeting, GK Mani has thanked the party functionaries for pouring their support into him over the past 25 years. He further rendered his apology to the party members if he had hurt anyone during his tenure. GK Mani went emotional during his speech and earlier at the meeting, he had proposed the resolution for appointing Anbumani as the President for which the party functionaries had poured their unanimous support. 

Earlier this week, PMK had hosted a felicitation function in Chennai for GK Mani, who had completed 25 years as the party president. According to reports, GK Mani was elected as the president of the party after Dheeran was expelled from the post in 1998. Since 1998, Mani had been elected as the party president twelve times and as he marked his 25th anniversary as the PMK President, the party had celebrated his feat and service. 

The new president Anbumani Ramadoss (53) has been serving as the Rajya Sabha MP from Tamil Nadu and he also had served as the party's youth wing secretary. While there were no official announcements concerning the transition, the arrangements had been made for the past few days after Mani has expressed to the leadership, his opinion that it is the time for the next generation to take over the leadership. 

Anbumani had also served as the Union Health Minister and he has been active in politics for the last 25 years. The party believes that Anbumani would be accepted as the PMK president by the cadres. The sources have said that the people will accept Anbumani as a well informed and well-read person and it's time for Anbumani to take over the leadership. 

Anbumani would be elevated to prepare the party for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and the 2026 assembly elections. Anbumani's elevation has been discussed at the party for the past several months. However, the party's founder Ramadoss was hesitant to give his nod to replace GK Mani, who was one of the former's trusted associates in the party. As Mani is also enjoying a good relationship with senior party leaders and with the leaders of various parties, his is the role of leading the party in seat sharing and alliance talks, which has made Ramadoss reluctant to keep Mani outside the leadership unit. 

However, there were talks in the high command that Anbumani could transform the party had he elected the president. After seeing Anbumani's tours and meetings with the party cadres in recent times, Ramadoss had agreed to elevate his son to the PMK's President. The reports say that the party would now have to elect a new chief for the youth wing after Anbumani's elevation. 

In recent times, Anbumani Ramadoss had been addressing the party's district units across the state to strengthen the internal structure of the party, from the village level as a first step. His political tour has been gaining support across the state and the latest elevation as the PMK President is expected to arm his mission. As he has been elevated as the new president, several cadres of the party have been expressing their wishes to him. After his son was unanimously elected as the party's president, PMK founder Ramadoss had broken down in tears and visuals of the meeting have been going viral across social media.