R ARIVANANTHAM
CHENNAI, JULY 18
Tamil Nadu Youth Welfare and Sports Development Minister and President of the DMK’s Youth Wing Udhayanidhi Stalin is likely to be soon elevated to the post of Deputy Chief Minister, DMK sources said. Incidentally, Thoothukudi Lok Sabha MP Kanimozhi, aunty of Udayanidhi, was made Parliamentary Party leader recently.
- He was included in the MK Stalin cabinet in December 2022 while the DMK govt had assumed office in May 2021
- This will pit him against Thalapathy Vijay, chief of Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam who is trying to capture the Fort
- Incidentally, Thoothukudi Lok Sabha MP Kanimozhi, aunty of Udayanidhi, was made Parliamentary Party leader recently
Udhayanidhi Stalin’s promotion to Tamil Nadu deputy chief minister had been decided long ago, but the announcement was delayed due to controversies surrounding the minister.
Stalin was also anointed as the Deputy Chief Minister in 2009 when his father M. Karunanidhi was the Chief Minister, catapulting him into the big league of Tamil Nadu politics and Udhayanidhi Stalin is also likely to follow in his father’s footsteps.
DMK’s youth wing leader and MLA from Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni constituency, Udhayanidhi, was sworn-in as a minister of the DMK cabinet in December 2022.
According to the sources, Udhayanidhi was supposed to be made Deputy CM twice this year. But, hit by controversies, DMK’s plans didn’t work out.
The Sanantana Dharma controversy erupted in the month of January after Udhayanidhi likened Sanatana Dharma with “malaria” and “dengue” while calling for its eradication. The DMK minister argued that Sanatana Dharma is based on the caste system and discrimination.
His statement sparked widespread criticism, leading to several complaints and the Supreme Court’s intervention.
It was Udhayanidhi Stalin who had pushed for his elevation to share the burden with his father, MK Stalin. While the decision on Udhayanidhi Stalin becoming the deputy chief minister is likely to be made soon, the official elevation is expected to happen before MK Stalin’s trip to the United States on August 22.
“This move will help groom Udhayanidhi with significant responsibilities,” a senior minister said, in reference to the Assembly elections in the state.
Udhayanidhi Stalin will be the face of the DMK in the 2026 Assembly elections as Stalin is unlikely to contest. This will pit him against Thalapathy Vijay, chief of Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam who is trying to capture the Fort.
