Published Jul 04, 2026 | 2:00 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 04, 2026 | 2:00 PM
DMK chief MK Stalin.
Synopsis: Political fortunes may have changed overnight in Tamil Nadu. But for hundreds who helped build the DMK’s digital campaign, the change appears to have come with pink slips rather than political rewards.
When governments change, the political landscape changes with them. Whether those changes benefit the public is a matter of debate, but one thing is almost certain: they rarely help those whose livelihoods depend on the party that has just lost power.
That appears to be the case with the DMK’s once-expansive digital ecosystem.
According to multiple sources who spoke to South First, hundreds of individuals associated with the DMK’s IT wing have been quietly relieved of their duties over the past month, following the party’s defeat in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
Among the biggest casualties, sources claim, is the Populus Empowerment Network (PEN), a key organisation that functioned as an integral part of the DMK’s digital campaign machinery.
People familiar with PEN’s operations say that until May this year, its office in Teynampet housed nearly 300 to 400 employees spread across three to four floors.
The team was responsible for almost every aspect of the party’s digital operations—from political research and field coordination to graphic design, video editing, social media campaigns and online messaging.
Besides the Teynampet office, teams also reportedly functioned from locations including Guindy and Egmore, with employees working both on contract and as full-time staff.
Today, sources say, most of those employees have been sent home.
Also Read | BJP is passé; in Tamil Nadu, TVK is turning into the new political ‘washing machine’
A former contract employee who spoke to South First said the organisation had three categories of staff—consultants, six-month contract employees and permanent staff.
“Consultants were told from the beginning that they were being hired only for the election campaign. Those on six-month contracts were assured that their contracts would be renewed every six months and that after the elections, depending on the situation, they could even be absorbed as permanent employees. But after the election results, many of them were simply asked to leave,” the former employee alleged.
Another employee who lost his job in June claimed the downsizing had been happening gradually for several weeks.
“Many of us had already shifted to work-from-home. Permanent employees were called to the office in batches, asked to return their office laptops and other equipment, given two months’ salary and relieved from service,” the former employee said.
Also Read | Vijay’s June 23 Assembly speech: When performance trumped governance
According to sources, the restructuring has not been limited to PEN alone.
Employees associated with the DMK’s IT wing operating from Anbagam, the party’s youth wing headquarters, as well as teams working closely with Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin, have also reportedly been affected by the downsizing.
Several sources claimed that most of the separate digital units have now been dissolved, with only a skeletal team continuing operations from Anbagam.
A person familiar with the developments estimated that between 200 and 400 employees had lost their jobs.
“If consultants and other contract workers are included, the number could be even higher. The primary reason is financial. After the party lost power, there was no willingness among senior leaders to continue funding such a large digital operation,” the source claimed.
Money, however, may not have been the only factor.
Some sources claimed that sections of the DMK leadership had, in recent months, grown increasingly suspicious about the political loyalties of certain members within its digital teams.
According to these sources, even before the elections, a few individuals holding important positions within the organisation were allegedly found to have been passing internal party information and campaign data to VOC, the political strategy company working for Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam. Those individuals were reportedly removed from service.
Following the election results, a few former PEN employees also allegedly posted videos of themselves throwing away their company identity cards while celebrating TVK’s victory with messages praising Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on their personal social media accounts.
According to sources, these incidents further deepened the DMK leadership’s distrust and contributed to the decision to overhaul the organisation.
A person close to the party told South First that there was a growing belief within the leadership that some members of these teams had sympathies towards TVK, and that this suspicion also played a role in the recent dismissals.
Caught between financial constraints and questions of political loyalty, many ordinary employees now find themselves without work.
Several former staff members who spoke to South First said they were given two months’ salary before being relieved.
“We’ve been sent home with two months’ pay, but now we’re struggling to find new jobs. Can a party that speaks so much about social justice leave its own workers in this situation?” one former employee asked.
While it is common for political parties to restructure their organisations following an electoral defeat, the scale of the reported downsizing has come as a surprise to many associated with the DMK’s digital ecosystem. For hundreds of employees who depended on these organisations for their livelihood, the restructuring has turned into an unexpected personal and economic setback.
(Edited by R Rajesh Kumar.)
