By IANS
<p>Chennai, July 9 (IANS) The ruling DMK’s ambitious membership drive, titled ‘Oraniyil Tamil Nadu’, has recorded an impressive start, with over 31 lakh new members enrolled within the first five days of its launch. The campaign, which began last week, is being hailed by party insiders as one of the most structured and closely monitored outreach programmes in the party’s recent history.</p>
<p>The 45-day drive aims to enrol at least 30 per cent of voters in each booth across the state, with an overall target of adding two crore members to the DMK’s cadre base.</p>
<p>While previous membership initiatives were often treated as symbolic exercises, this campaign is being taken far more seriously, thanks to a robust system of internal monitoring and evaluation.</p>
<p>Senior party leaders revealed that the drive is not just about expanding the party’s numerical strength but also about consolidating public opinion against what the DMK calls the "discriminatory and neg