The opposition party of Tamil Nadu DMK is preparing to conduct the annual general council meeting online, for the first time in the history of the Dravidian party. On Tuesday, the party announced that the meeting will be held on September 9, during which the party will elect the General Secretary and Treasurer as the top posts have been remaining vacant for the past few months. 

According to the reports, the meeting will be chaired by DMK President MK Stalin and it will be held through video conference. The meeting was earlier scheduled on March 29, but it was later deferred owing to the COVID-19 outbreak and the lockdown. The meeting is getting convened after five months and seven months ahead of the state legislative elections. Following the announcement, the party has called the members of the general council to attend the meeting. 

During the meeting, the party would be electing its new general secretary and treasurer. According to the reports, one of the most senior leaders of DMK Duraimurugan will be contesting for the post of General Secretary and he would most likely be elected unopposed as there is no possible election for the post. The post has become vacant after then and longtime General Secretary K Anbazhagan had died in March. 

Duraimurugan is currently the party's treasurer and he had resigned from the post on March 16 to contest in the election for the post of General Secretary. However, Stalin hasn't accepted his resignation and kept it on hold until the general council meeting. Since the meeting will be held on September 9, Stalin would be accepting his resignation and would be elected as the successor of Anbazhagan and the post of General Secretary is the next powerful role in the party after the president. 

While Duraimurugan's resignation is accepted, the post of treasurer will become vacant and the reports say the party would see tight race among senior leaders to get the post of treasurer. Some of the senior leaders like former minister EV Velu, DMK Lok Sabha MP TR Baalu, Ponmudy, Jagathrakshakan, and KN Nehru will be contesting for the post of treasurer. The reports stated that both of the top posts will be filled in the meeting, ahead of the state assembly polls. 

Along with electing the leaders for the top posts, the general council meeting would be discussing the road ahead for the party in facing the legislative elections. On Tuesday, the government said that the Tamil Nadu Legislative session will begin on September 14. It's expected that DMK leaders will discuss in the council meeting to take on the ruling ADMK regime in its handling of the COVID-19 outbreak and economy. On September 3, the party's district secretaries will be holding a meeting to discuss and review the important issues to be discussed in the general council meeting.