After a long wait, Dravida Munnetra Kazhaghan president M Karunanidhi's politician-son and Youth Wing Secretary M K Stain, was named one of the three deputy general secretaries of the parent organisation.

The party has also named his known lieutenant and Chennai-based rabble-rousing legislator Parithi Illamvazhuthi as a deputy general secretary. Illamvazhuthi is a Dalit.

Former minister Sarguna Pandian, from the numerically significant Nadar community, is the other deputy general secretary.

The nominations were announced at the DMK General Council meeting, held in Chennai on Monday.

The meeting unanimously re-elected Karunanidhi as president, former ministers K Anbazhagan as General Secretary and Arcot N Veerasamy as Treasurer. Theirs were the only nominations.

In a significant step, the party has also named another former minister, S Duraimurugan, as the Principal Secretary at the

headquarters, a newly-created post.

A Vanniar, Duraimurugan's elevation is aimed at reviving the party's hold over the northern districts, where the PMK has emerged as an alternative.

There is no top-level representation for the Thevar community, which is identified with the ruling AIADMK.

Indications are that former AIADMK strongman from Tirunelveli district V Karuppuswami Pandian would be nominated to a party post at a later date.

Pandian had withdrawn his nomination for the district party secretary's post, paving the way for the unanimous election of Alagarswami, who is a supporter of M K Azhagiri, Karunanidhi's other son now under arrest in connection with a murder.