Former DMK Erode Central district secretary Thoppu Venkatachalam alias N.D. Venkatachalam on Saturday alleged that a section of party functionaries worked against him in the recent Assembly election. He will decide in a week whether to continue in the DMK.Earlier in the day, DMK general secretary Duraimurugan announced that Mr. Venkatachalam had been relieved as the party’s Erode Central district in-charge. Following a reorganisation, the Perundurai Assembly constituency has been brought under the party’s Erode South district unit, while the Bhavani Assembly constituency has been merged with the Erode North district unit.Addressing reporters at Perundurai, Mr. Venkatachalam, who was defeated in the Perundurai Assembly constituency, alleged that about 80% of booth agents had informed him during a post-poll review that a section of DMK cadre had not worked for the party. “I submitted a representation to the party leadership seeking action against those responsible, but there has been no response so far,” he said.Rubbishing speculation that he planned to join another political party, he termed such reports as “rumours” and said he will announce his political future shortly. He alleged that the then DMK government’s failure to address local issues, including the Athikadavu-Avinashi project, had affected the DMK’s electoral prospects in the region. However, he maintained that he had no differences with DMK president M. K. Stalin or the party’s senior leadership. He also urged the DMK to examine the reasons for its defeat in Erode district instead of attributing it solely to the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) factor.A former AIADMK Minister, Mr. Venkatachalam represented Perundurai in the Assembly after winning the 2011 and 2016 elections. Denied the AIADMK ticket in 2021, he contested as an Independent and was subsequently expelled from the party. He joined the DMK in July 2021. In the 2026 Assembly election, he lost the Perundurai seat to AIADMK candidate S. Jayakumar, who later resigned from the party and joined the TVK. Published - August 01, 2026 06:38 pm IST