Chennai: As Tamil Nadu moves closer to the assembly election, the women’s wings of the Dravidian majors are all gearing up to flex their organisational muscle in the coming days.Riding on the momentum of its western zone women’s conference held at Palladam in December, the DMK has now planned for a similar event in Thanjavur on January 19. A senior DMK functionary said the Palladam meet turned out to be a show of strength for the party’s women’s wing helmed by MP Kanimozhi and the Thanjavur event would be even bigger. “More than a lakh women cadres congregated for the Palladam meeting. This time, the party is planning to bring 1.5 lakh women,” said the functionary.The AIADMK, not to be left behind, is preparing for a parallel show of strength of its women’s wing. The opposition party would be holding a conference of its women’s wing in Kallakurichi on January 5. Women’s wing state secretary and former minister B Valarmathi told TOI that the party expects over 1 lakh women to participate, most of them from Kallakurichi district. “By mobilising a large number of cadres from a single district, we will demonstrate our organisational strength,” she said.The renewed emphasis on women-centric conferences come in the backdrop of women’s votes turning crucial in the election this time. While the DMK is banking on welfare schemes targeted at women, the AIADMK is attempting to reclaim its traditional base. The party has been invoking the legacy of late chief minister J Jayalalithaa, even as it targeted DMK over attacks on women.“The conference would sharpen the attack on the anti-people policies of DMK and a breakdown of law and order affecting women and children”, said AIADMK women’s wing state joint secretary Keerthika Muniasamy.
